ST Report: 23-Mar-90 #412
From: Kevin Steele (aj205@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 03/24/90-02:57:46 PM Z
From: aj205@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Kevin Steele)
Subject: ST Report: 23-Mar-90 #412
Date: Sat Mar 24 14:57:46 1990
*---== CPU NEWSWIRE ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---*
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
_____________________________________
from
STR Publishing Inc.
""""""""""""""""""
March 23, 1990 No.4.12
=======================================================================
CPU NewsWire Online Magazine?
featuring
STReport ~ Online?
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Jacksonville, Florida
32205 ~ 6672
R.F. Mariano
Publisher - Editor
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__________________________________________________________________
> 03/23/90: CPU Newswire? #412 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine!
----------------------------
- The Editor's Podium - CPU REPORT - CPU MacNEWS
- INSIDER ADVANTAGE? - CEBIT NEWS - Gregg's Dilemma
- PCD2 AND SO?? - SHOW UPDATES - AUA News
- UPGRADE PATHS - DynaCADD p VIII - CPU CONFIDENTIAL
---===*** EXCLUSIVE! CEBIT '90 COVERAGE! ***===---
---===** APRIL ROUGH MONTH FOR ATARI SHOWS! **===---
---====*** GENIE DEBUTS IN EUROPE ***====---
==========================================================================
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
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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?
Atari shows are the "town criers of old" for Atari info, as such we
should all try to pay as much attention as we possibly can to them. In
the last few issues of STReport we pointed out the alarming
inconsistencies in the date setting occurring between well known shows...
Some folks seemed to get the impression that STReport was "neglecting"
the APRIL SCENE in an apparent show of partiality to one show in
particular. My friends, nothing could be farther from the truth.
In the matter of the April show dates we present elsewhere in this
issue information pertinent to the shows scheduled in April. STReport
originally published our well known article "Usergroups an Endangered
Species" in hopes of pointing out the danger of supporting shows put on by
private entities for profit and how they would eventually clobber all
usergroup sponsored shows. We were, at that time, taken to task by a
number of folks for having unfairly "picked" on the promoter of World of
Atari shows. Still, we feel that to have these shows provide even the
slightest positive light upon Atari, they must be diligently co-ordinated
among all the show planners and Atari.
How foolish some are to think, in even the slightest way, that we
"singled out" Glendale and WAACE in a punitive manner. If anything, we
were trying to generate enough attention in hopes of getting either one or
the other to change the dates. We felt that there was more hope there
than with the mess we are facing with this coming month of APRIL... THREE
SHOWS IN THE SAME MONTH! This is not right or fair to any of the shows..
especially since the WOA show seemingly has a definite and huge advantage
on location, publicity and of course, substantial Atari participation. To
be entirely fair, we checked and found that WOA had set its dates almost a
year ago. We are also told that TAF has had its date set (April 1, 1990)
for almost a year too. So what is one to do?
Sure, one can say that in this amount of time, the two shows could
have communicated, but when we find a business running one show, and a
usergroup or a number of usergroups running another show serious problems
can and will arise. Mainly, the usergroups are not putting on the show
(TAF) in hopes of making a profit. They are staging the show because they
CARE.. they care about Atari, they care about the users and they care
about the market in general. The business, on the other hand, is engaged
in putting on the shows (WOA) to make a profit plain and simple. When it
comes to making a profit the name of the game is competition and nothing
else. So there you have it, in all its stark reality, the "for profit"
shows must outdo all competition if a profit is to be realized. This is a
basic business premise and must be taken into consideration when deciding
which show(s) to support. Usergroups have supported Atari from day one
without question and in all probabilities will continue to do so whether
there are profits or not to be had....
Thanks for your strong support,
Ralph........
**********************************************************************
: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 # 59
----------
by Michael Arthur
Remember When....
In March 1989, three West German "crackers" (read: malicious hackers)
were arrested for illegally breaking into and accessing 30 military
computers, as a result of an investigation started by Clifford Stoll, an
astronomer, after he found a 75 cent billing error in one of the computer
systems?
CPU INSIGHTS?
=============
IBM Endorsements, Display Postscript, and Big Wins for Adobe
------------------------------------------------------------
Recently, Microsoft had announced that the TrueImage image
description language, which incorporated both its Postscript Clone
technology and Apple's TrueType (previously under the codename: Royal)
Outline Font technology, would be in both System Software 7.0, Microsoft
Windows 3.0, and in the version of Presentation Manager going in OS/2
Standard Edition 2.0. With this move, a few held opinions that Apple and
Microsoft had vanquished Display Postscript and Adobe, with the only
factor of change being IBM's decision on a font standard for OS/2. And
with the status of IBM and Microsoft's relationship, those few believed
that IBM would logically choose TrueImage.
Contrary to opinions of a few, IBM has now announced that it will be
using Adobe's Postscript technology across its entire line of SAA (Systems
Application Architecture) compliant Operating Systems. In order to
understand the significance of this move, let us take a look at SAA:
Systems Application Architecture, or SAA, is a common set of
guidelines that will allow users to learn and use applications on any IBM
system, from IBM Mainframes to the PS/2, more quickly, and for programmers
to port applications running on one IBM computer to another IBM system
more easily. SAA consists of three components:
- CUA (Common User Access), which defines Presentation Manager as
the standard graphical user interface for IBM applications
- CPI (Common Programming Interface), which is a standard set of
operating system calls allowing IBM applications to be ported
among these operating systems, which are used in IBM's PS/2,
workstation, and mainframe systems:
- OS/2 (Operating System/2 - used in microcomputers)
- OS/400 (Operating System/400 - used in minicomputers)
- VM (Virtual Machine - used in mainframes)
- MVS (Multiple Virtual Storage - used in mainframes)
- CCS (Common Communications Support) standardizes the various
terminal emulations and protocols used for LAN, modem/terminal
communications in IBM systems. This unified approach to computing
could allow IBM Mainframe Users to integrate AT Clones and PS/2s
into their businesses, and would make the power of mainframe
applications available to OS/2 Users.
IBM plans to use Display Postscript, Adobe's unified imaging standard
which both controls and generates screen displays, and outputs documents
to be printed as Postscript files, in SAA. This means that Display
Postscript will become the imaging standard for IBM's entire line of
computer systems....
With Display Postscript, not only will IBM's SAA have a standardized
screen display mechanism, but SAA-compliant applications will be able to
send output to a wide range of Postscript-compatible devices, including
laser printers, typesetters, and film recorders. Given that A/IX, IBM's
version of Unix, will also use Display Postscript as its standard imaging
model, IBM's acceptance of Adobe Postscript seems near-absolute....
However, IBM also promised that it would support Microsoft's
TrueImage technology in IBM OS/2 Extended Edition's version of the
Presentation Manager. In order to support this, OS/2 now has an Open Font
Interface, which will allow Software Companies and users to choose between
font standards for their work. However, given that the reason IBM chose
Display Postscript was because of overwhelming User Demand for it....
ATM for DOS, the Adobe Type Library, and Type 1 Fonts in PD
-----------------------------------------------------------
In addition to this, Adobe has announced that it will be developing
versions of Adobe Type Manager, a software utility which allows users to
print Postscript Fonts without a Postscript printer, as well as displaying
them on-screen (in contrast to Display Postscript, which supports
Postscript graphics as well), for OS/2 Presentation Manager, Microsoft
Windows, and some DOS applications by the end of 1990. Given that Adobe
has already sold more than 150,000 copies of ATM for the Macintosh....
Adobe Systems has announced that by 1991, the Adobe Type Library (a
collection of official Postscript outline fonts which now includes over
600 different typefaces), will feature over 1000 different font
typefaces. The Adobe Type Library uses Adobe's Type 1 Postscript font
format.
Interestingly enough, Adobe has ALSO announced the availability of
the "Adobe Type 1 Font Format", a book which contains the complete
specifications for Postscript outline fonts. Available for $15.00 by
Adobe, this book describes the syntax of the Type 1 format, and provides
information on all aspects of Type 1, including the data encryption
algorithms which Adobe formerly used to enforce Postscript fonts not being
usable by Postscript Clone makers. With this move, Adobe has now placed
the ENTIRE specifications for the Postscript Language in the Public
Domain....
Adobe Systems is also reporting good Earnings this Quarter, and
surprisingly, it seems that it is still gaining a considerable amount of
income from Royalties for Postscript licensing. Given that this was
feared to be lost, with Postscript's new PD status, it seems that Adobe is
truly turning the problems caused by its placing Postscript in the Public
Domain into great advantages....
-----\\\-///-----
But ponder, if you will, these questions:
1) What are the implications of the quickly declining cost of good
Postscript printers, and of Adobe's efforts to boost Postscript's
status as an industry standard, in the face of mounting competition
from Microsoft's Postscript clone interpreter?
2) Given that Commodore's $20 million Ad campaign did not generate the
amount of Amiga sales as would be expected, how will Apple and Atari
fare in selling ther new machines (the new IIgs, and the Atari STE)
towards the low/middle end of the US computer industry?
-----\\\-///-----
> CPU STATUS REPORT?
=================
- London, UK **** SPA FUNDS SOFTWARE PIRACY HOTLINE ****
----------
The Software Publishers Association, a trade group made up by 600
prominent computer software companies (such as Lotus and Microsoft), has
recently donated $25,000 to FAST (or Federation Against Software Theft),
for the establishment of a software piracy hotline in England, similar to
the Piracy Hotline the SPA has set up in the US, at 1-800-388-7478.
As part of this program, the SPA is also working with FAST in
launching lawsuits against software pirates, and performing Corporate
Audits (or investigations into whether pirated software is used within a
given company) on corporations suspected of pirating software. All
companies who are audited must make a contribution to FAST. More
importantly, if FAST's Corporate Audit program is successful at slowing
software piracy within companies, then the SPA will fund similar efforts
worldwide....
- Mountain View, CA * IBM ANNOUNCES LOWEST-PRICED POSTSCRIPT PRINTER *
-----------------
IBM has started shipping the IBM LaserPrinter E, a new line of laser
printers. The Low-end model, which can generate 5 pages per minute, costs
$1500.00, while the High-end version (capable of churning out 10 pages a
minute) costs $2400.00. However, this line of printers can also be
configured with a Postscript Interpreter ($500), and a 1 Meg RAM upgrade
($500). This means that at a total cost of $2500.00, the Low-end version
of the LaserPrinter E is the least-expensive Postscript printer currently
available....
- Tokyo, Japan *** JAPAN VIOLATES TRADE ACT - USA ***
------------
Under the 1988 Trade Act, the US charged that several of Japan's
markets, including the supercomputer and satellite industries, were
virtually closed to foreign competition, by factors such as a lack of
anti-trust enforcement by the Japanese Government. A round of talks has
recently begun between the US and Japan to deal with this issue, in part
because this law threatens to impose tariff rates of up to 100 percent on
certain Japanese goods exported to the US if there was no sign of change
in this "condition" by June 16th....
Interestingly enough, it seems that with recent elections, the
Japanese political climate has not been conducive to such talks, and that
some see these talks as the US trying to dictate what Japan should do,
without solving other problems (like US companies' obsession with short
term earnings, instead of long-term benefits), which also contribute to
America's current economic weaknesses, and the Trade Deficit with Japan...
______________________________________________________________
> APPLE "ON THE MOVE" CPU MacNEWS? Ideal for SPECTRE GCR Owners..
================================
APPLE II PUSH: NEW IIGS - MAC IIFX - SCSI/DMA
==============================================
Part II
by Michael Arthur
In the first part of this essay, some of Apple's efforts for the
IIgs in the hardware arena were discussed. Also, its development of
Hypercard GS, and other IIgs software Toolkits were discussed, as well as
preliminary details concerning Apple's new Mac IIfx. In this article, the
features of Hypercard 2.0 (for the Macintosh) will be discussed, and the
Mac IIfx will be explored in depth....
Recently, news of a new update of Hypercard for the Macintosh,
Version 2.0, has circulated across the Apple community. In order to see
how it will affect both Macintosh Users, and Users of Macintosh Emulators,
let us take a look at its functionality. Expected to be introduced in
May, at Apple's Worldwide Developers' Conference (where System 7.0 was
introduced last year), Hypercard 2.0 features:
- A BUILT-IN ICON EDITOR: Also, added Visual Effects, and several
new Graphics Commands are available, as well as improved support
for Color Quickdraw.
- VIRTUAL SCREEN SUPPORT: It will enable Cards in a Hypercard Stack
to be as large as 1280*1280 pixels on one screen, and one will be
able to view cards larger than Hypercard's window by "dragging a
selection rectangle" around a Dialog Box which acts as a "map" for
implementing this "virtual screen" function. However, Hypercard
will still require all cards in a stack to be the same size....
- IMPROVED TEXT EDITING FUNCTIONS: In addition to allowing multiple
scripts to be edited at a time, Hypercard 2.0 will allow text in
fields to be entered in multiple font styles and sizes. Also, the
ability to implement more complex "multiple-step" searches will be
supported.
- NEW HYPERTEXT FUNCTIONS: Hypercard 2.0 features new XCMD language
functions, which allow scripts to see what specific string of text
has been selected by a user. This means that one will be able to
click on any string of text like a "button", in order to access
cards in a stack which are related to it....
- INCREMENTAL COMPILATION: Hypercard 2.0 will also be able to
compile scripts when they are run, allowing much faster execution
of Hypercard "stackware"....
- AN INTEGRATED SYMBOLIC DEBUGGER: Featuring script execution
tracing, and allowing one to set up breakpoints and implement
other debugging functions, will be included with Hypercard 2.0. It
will use separate windows for viewing variables and messages
within scripts.
- BACKGROUND PROCESSING SUPPORT: Hypercard 2.0 will fully support
Multifinder, and will use it to enable one to run stacks,
implement search operations, and perform most of its other
features as background tasks....
- COMPATIBILITY: Hypercard 2.0 uses a new file format. However,
while Hypercard 2.0's file format will be compatible with
Hypercard GS's file format, Hypercard 2.0 will also be
backwards-compatible with Hypercard 1.x files....
Also, Apple Corp. has just introduced the Macintosh IIfx, a new
version of the Mac IIcx which uses a 40 MHZ 68030 with a 68882 math chip,
as well as a 32K Static RAM (SRAM) Cache. The Mac IIfx is twice as fast
as the Mac IIci in processing capability, in part because it uses two
separate I/O processors to handle a DMA (Direct Memory Access) SCSI
Controller. It also features a Processor Direct Slot similar to the Mac
SE/30's, in addition to its 6 NuBus Expansion slots. One drawback are its
costs:
Macintosh IIfx with 2 Megs of RAM: $9000.00
Mac IIfx with 4 Megs of RAM and a 80 Meg Hard Drive: $11,145
Mac IIfx with 4 Megs of RAM and a 160 Meg Hard Drive: $12,045
Apple has also announced their Macintosh Display Card line of Color
Quickdraw-capable boards. The low-end model, called the Display Card 4.8,
supports basic Mac II graphics, with 256 displayable colors out of 16
million, while the Display Card 8.24 supports 16 million simultaneously
displayable colors. However, the high-end model, called the Macintosh
Display Card 8.24 GC, uses an AMD 29000 RISC chip as a graphics
accelerator, enabling it to perform Color Quickdraw operations up to 25 -
30 times faster than normal. It also supports 32-Bit Quickdraw....
Along with these two systems, Apple announced A/UX 2.0, a new update
of their version of AT&T Unix System V 3.2, which not only is compatible
with IEEE POSIX standards and BSD Unix Version 4.3, but has these two
major features:
1) It uses the Finder (the Macintosh Desktop) for handling files
and Desk Accessories, as well as switching between applications
and other functions. As part of this, A/UX supports Macintosh
Menu Bars, Icons, and the other segments of the Mac's Graphical
User Interface.
2) Its multitasking capabilities have been greatly extended,
allowing it to run multiple Unix programs, X/Windows-based Unix
applications, AND Macintosh software simultaneously. Given that
A/UX also uses the 68030 for hardware memory protection, this
means that A/UX 2.0 not only can multitask standard Unix apps,
but can efficiently and effectively multitask Macintosh
applications before the Macintosh's own System Software....
Apple had reportedly planned for System Software 8.0 (NOT the
upcoming System 7.0, but the one AFTER it) to use the 68030 to
implement hardware-based memory protection, as well as
preemptive multitasking, for Macintosh applications. However,
until that is available, A/UX 2.0 will be an effective stopgap
measure....
_______________________________________________________________________
> CeBIT COVERAGE CPU/STR CONFIDENTIAL? From across the sea..
==================================
WORLD PARTICIPATION AT CEBIT GROWS:
CEBIT SHOW OVERVIEW
===================
by Janet Endrijonas/19900321
NewsBytes News Service
- Hannover, West Germany ** CeBIT '90 - TO HOST 500,000 **
----------------------
CeBIT '90, one of the world's largest technical trade fairs and the
world's largest display of office, information and telecommunications
technology, is underway here. Running from Mar. 21 Through Mar.28,
Exhibits are grouped together by technology in each of 23 buildings. In
addition to individual exhibits by companies from 42 nations, cebit also
has a number of pavilions sponsored by individual countries containing
exhibits from smaller companies. One of the largest is the american
pavilion with 312 exhibitors making the USA the second largest exhibiting
nation after West Germany.
The number of exhibitors from the US does not reflect the actual US
participation at CeBIT. Many US companies are exhibited throughout the
fair by their European subsidiaries. Authorities in Hannover expect
American attendance to top the 6,000 mark. While this number represents a
growth in US attendees, it is a small percentage of the over-half-million
attendees expected to visit the fairgrounds during the 8-day exhibition.
One reason for the tremendous amount of US interest this year is the
fact that the USA is the CeBIT Business Partner Country for 1990. In
1989, the Business Partner Country program was inaugurated with India as
the Business Partner Country. The Business Forum will take place over 4
days. Participating on behalf of the USA will be Secretary of Commerce
Robert A. Mosbacher along with the German Minister for Economic Affairs
Dr. Helmut Haussman. Both will speak at Business Forum I on "common tasks
facing the United States and Europe in the 90s."
Business Forum II is "international information and communications
policy in trade and industry opportunities, challenges and prospects."
Business Forum III will involve a discussion between representatives of
American and European companies on the the merits of the European
Community and the US as business locations. The final day, Forum IV will
deal with "computer networks today and in the future."
As Business Partner Country, Business USA will focus on joint
ventures, investment opportunities in the US, joint research and
development projects, cooperative projects, as well as technical, legal,
economic and trade issues of importance to technical industries.
US participation in CeBIT is supporting a number of trends. One is an
emphasis on local area networking (LAN) and related products. An
increasing number of American companies are becoming active LAN vendors in
Europe. CeBIT '90 is hosting the second annual Network Europe exposition,
sponsored by Novell and managed by Hannover Fairs USA, with 65 companies
from North America, Europe and Asia participating.
More emphasis is also apparent in the area of mass storage devices
including hard disk drives, streaming tape and tape cartridge back-up
systems. Increasing numbers of software programs developed in the US but
conforming to international standards and accommodate national and
cultural traits of the European marketplace are also in evidence at this
year's show.
Other areas in which there is great interest at CeBIT '90 are
telecommunications and Open System Interconnection(OSI). More than 400
networking technology vendors are exhibiting with international
demonstrations of the business uses of OSI are ongoing. MultiNet fills an
entire exhibit hall demonstrating how data processing equipment can be
interconnected based on international standards. This demonstration
includes how to migrate between TCP/IP (Transmission Control
Protocol/Internet Protocol) and OSI network applications. An FDDI (fiber
distributed data interface) demonstration is also part of MultiNet.
The total number of booths at CeBIT has risen to 4,012 as compared
with 3,214 in 1989 and 2,731 in 1988, a rapid increase. In addition to
the US gain of 114 booths since 1989, the number of exhibitors from Great
Britain has increased from 129 in 1988 to 158 this year, France's total
has risen from 69 to 81, Hong Kong has 17 more exhibitors than in 1989 for
a total of 45 while Taiwanese exhbits number 210, up from 162 in 1988.
Other countries showing substantial increases in participation include
Italy, Singapore, Spain and Israel.
A number of countries are represented at CeBIT '90 for the first time
including Chile, Mexico, Monaco and the Soviet Union.
A major emphasis at this year's CeBIT is being placed on the new
economic and political relationships being established between East and
West. An entire forum series is being devoted to demonstrations of how
the application of information and telecommunications technology can open
new dimensions of business between East and West, new opportunities in
what used to be state-controlled, monopolistic markets.
NOTE:
Complete Coverage of CEBIT 90 involving all other computer platforms is
available in its entirety from NewsBytes.
- Hannover, West Germany **** ATARI GERMANY SNUBS MEGA ST ****
----------------------
From: Gordon @ CeBIT at 05:26 EST 03/22/90
There has been a real interesting development here at Cebit.. Atari
>Germany long considered the most successful and profitable of Ataris
foreign affilitates has not sold any Mega computers for the past month and
announced yesterday that they would no longer sell Mega computers. This
has caused a great uproar amoung the German software developers. As this
effectivly puts many of them out of business. Any software that needs,
large amounts of memory, a large monitor, or uses the expansion slot in
the Mega is out of business. A large cad developer told me he had sold 0
copies of his program on the ST last month as Atari sold no Megas. His
only sales were of his brand new PC product that he was selling to former
ST owners of his program.
Editor Note:
-----------
Informed STReport sources state that among the reasons behind the
alledged snubbing by Atari Germany, the more obvious are, the ULTRA LATE
ARRIVAL OF THE TT has CAUGHT Atari Germany with its "PANTS DOWN".
Apparently they ordered low quantities of the regular Mega lines,
anticipating the timely arrival of the TT. Another reason cited was they
have designed and produced a Mega STE. Rest assured, that Atari Germany
is NOT bowing out of the high end Atari market in Europe. In fact, the
same informed sources have verified that since the release of DynaCADD
1.7xxx in Europe most of the other CADD offerings in the Atari arena
appear to be caught in serious sales doldrums...
- Hannover, West Germany
----------------------
* GENIE ONLINE INFORMATION SERVICE DEBUTS IN EUROPE *
=================================================
GE Information Services (GEIS), owner and operator of one of the
world's largest teleprocessing networks, announced today at the Hannover
Fair CeBIT'90 that its GEnie online information service can be accessed in
three European countries -- Germany, Austria, and Switzerland -- via GEIS
network services distributors.
The GEnie service, which became operational in late 1985, is one of
the fastest growing online information services with more than 191,000
individual subscribers throughout the United States and Canada and in
Japan.
Bill Louden, general manager of the GEnie service, said: "We are very
pleased to be able to make local access to the GEnie service available for
the first time in three European countries. This new local European
access to the GEnie service, via our local distributors, is being provided
in response to the many requests we have had from European PC
enthusiasts."
The cost to access the GEnie service in these three countries will be
$18/hour U.S. for non-prime time access and $27/hour U.S. for prime time
access. The non-prime time rate applies to usage Monday through Friday
from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. local Europe time of the user's location, and all
day on weekends and designated holidays.
The GEnie service offers PC enthusiasts a variety of online services,
including access to news and information, business and financial services,
travel services, shopping services, personal computing support areas,
professional services support areas, reference information, communications
products, and both individual and multi-player games. Except for certain
U.S. financial and shopping services, most of these services will be
available to European subscribers to the GEnie service.
For further information on subscribing to the GEnie service in
Germany, Austria and Switzerland, please call the following telephone
number in Cologne, Germany: 02233 - 6091. For further information on
subscribing to the GEnie service in the U.S. and Canada, please use the
information provided in this issue of CPU Report.
GE Information Services, a division of General Electric Company, USA
(NYSE: GE), is headquartered in Rockville, Md., USA.
NOTE: GEnie is a service mark of General Electric Company, USA.
- Hannover, West Germany * CEBIT: GENIE COMES TO NEWSBYTES RESCUE *
----------------------
Words from Coleridge ring.. Oh, so true...
"WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE AND NOT A DROP TO DRINK"
Newsbytes has discovered that in the midst of a sea of technology,
actually the world's largest such sea, there is nary a simple bit of
ordinary connectivity to be had. Yes, a entire pavilion dedicated to
telecommunications and yet, modems only for the endless loop
demonstration, not for use in connecting to any useful system for any
truly profitable endeavor.
But, the quest continues. Somewhere in the vast maze of exhibits
there lurks an innocent modem just waiting to be used...talk about a long
shot--the odds are better in the California lottery.
Aha ! The answer arose from GEnie, General Electric's information
service. The company had an actual link to its Maryland, U.S. database
operating over telecommunications lines, from which these reports were
uploaded from the show floor.
________________________________________________________
> GREGG'S DILEMMA CPU/STR Feature? I don't need any stinking backups!
===============================
NIGHTMARE ON LAWRENCE ST.
========================
or...
Backups? I don't need any stinking backups!
by Gregg Anderson
Well, it finally happened to me. After two years of harping to
others on the importance of keeping a current backup of their hard
drive, my system went down and took over 40 Megabytes of data with
it. No problem you say? Just reformat and load in your last backup
you say? After all, you've been around long enough to know how
important backing up your hard disk is. You're always telling us to
do it so you must be doing it yourself. Right?
WRONG!!! In the famous tradition of 'do as I say, not as I do',
I kept delaying my backup. After all, it takes hours and hours to do
a floppy backup of a 40 meg hard disk and I just didn't have the
time. I was too far behind on my articles and had a bunch of fonts
to modify before I could take the time for a backup. So off I went,
working on four different articles, modifying LOTS of fonts for
LaserBrain, beta testing some new utilities, and generally staying
pretty busy.
Then about two weeks ago I finally got around to installing a
new hardware modification I'd been promising myself for months. It
was just a simple 'plug in' job and my ST had a similar unit
installed a few months ago for a review (and removed after finishing
the article). The upgrade seemed to be working alright so I pressed
on and hit the old WordWriter ST again. All was going great until I
tried to print something and found the text was out of sequence.
Since the screen display looked normal I re-saved the file and
printed it again. This time everything looked ok, ok until I read it
and found the system had somehow deleted a paragraph and substituted
a paragraph from a totally different article. Now then, I may be a
little slow from time to time but even I'm bright enough to see I had
a problem here. I decided to re-boot and start over, bad choice!
From that moment on my system no longer accessed the hard drive.
In fact it couldn't even tell a hard drive was connected. After
sitting on the panic button for a while I finally decided to bite the
bullet and reformat the disk. That was when I remembered how out of
date my backup was. ARG!!! All the articles I'd been working on,
all the fonts I'd modified, EVERYTHING I had done was gone and would
have to be recreated from scratch. After kicking myself repeatedly I
limped over to the computer and got started. I reformatted and
partitioned the beast and everything seemed alright. Until it
scrambled itself again half way through the reload that is. At this
point I removed the upgrade (at the suggestion of the manufacturer)
and started over again. This time everything worked and has
continued to work without so much as a hiccup from the drive.
So what happened? As near as we can tell (we'll know more in a
few weeks) something in the modification imposed a load on the disk
controller, the DMA/MMU chips, or on the 8 Mhz clock that wasn't
there before. Somehow this allowed WordWriter to partially overwrite
the disk's directory and File Allocation Tables (FATs). This
shouln't have happened and is the only such incident the company
knows about (they want to borrow my system and find out exactly what
happened to keep it from happening again, this outfit cares about its
product and customers). So don't let my disaster keep you from
upgrading your ST, but do learn from my biggest mistake.
Me admit to making a mistake? As much as it hurts to admit it,
I'm afraid so. I DIDN'T HAVE A CURRENT BACK UP OF MY HARD DISK!!!!
I can't make it any plainer then that. By trying to save a few hours
of time I lost more than three months worth of hard work, quite a few
dollars in phone calls, and at least two inches off my hairline.
Please folks, learn from my mistake and backup your disk RIGHT NOW!
In addition to regular (at least monthly) backups, ALWAYS do a
complete backup before starting any type of modification to your
system. Even if you know for a fact that what you're doing can't
possibly cause problems with your hard disk, BACK IT UP FIRST!
If you can't afford a dedicated backup utility then look into
Turtle. Turtle 3.0, available for download on all the major boards,
does a fine (if a tad slow) job of backing up any hard disk out
there. Speaking of Turtle, when it tells you to remove your all
'AUTO' folder programs and Accessories, it means ALL of them. This
includes the various TOS.FIX & POOL programs for TOS 1.4. Your ST
must be totally empty or Turtle may not be able to work correctly.
It all boils down to this; Save yourself a LOT of excess worry,
unplanned work, heartache, and maybe even some money. If you've not
backed up your hard disk lately, DO IT NOW! And enjoy a little peace
of mind.
A sadder, balder, but wiser;
Gregg Anderson
RACE
_______________________________________________________
> PACE ATARI SHOW CPU/STR SHOW NEWS? And Now... in this corner...
=================================
THE NORTH EAST ATARIFEST '90
============================
Sponsored by PACE
The PITTSBURGH ATARI COMPUTER ENTHUSIASTS
Location:
Chartiers Valley High School, near Pittsburgh, PA
Located just off I-79 at the Heidelburg / Kerwin Heights exit
Within 15 minutes of the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport
Easy access from from the PA Turnpike via Exit #3
Dates:
APRIL 28TH & 29TH, 1990
Time:
Saturday the 28th - 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday the 29th - 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Users Groups:
Tables are available to any Officially Atari Recognized
User's Group for only 25.00 per table.
Need more Information?:
Call:
THE PACE BBS at 412-571-0891 and read the show message base.
Validation is immediate!
Or
Call:
412-843-0628 voice
after 5:00pm EST
If you've ever been to a show that PACE has put on before, you'll
know that they are well attended by the best retailers & developers!
__________________________________________________________
> TAF ATARI SHOW CPU/STR SHOW NEWS? And still, ANOTHER show in April
=================================
TORONTO ATARI FEDERATION
========================
A Usergroup sponsored show..
This notice first appeared Feb. 1990
February is traditionally a dark and gloomy month. And last week
the Toronto Atari Federation was especially dark and gloomy we just
discovered that a whole series of announcements and press releases about
the 1990 Canadian Atari Users Convention had been carefully put in a box
AND NEVER GOT MAILED!!! They have now been sent out, but if you are only
just now receiving yours, we don't want you to feel that you have been
neglected, or that your participation in this tremendous event is not
important to us. This Atari event on APRIL 1ST is rapidly turning into an
even more exciting gathering than we had initially hoped.
The Convention is generating a LOT of interest in Canada, and we're
confident that it will be a bigger hit than the First Canadian Atari Users
Convention that we presented in the fall of 1988. Atari Canada will be
present as the major exhibitor and have provided some excellent door
prizes. These include 8 Atari XEGS' which we will be giving away every
hour as well as a grand prize consisting of a MEGA2, monochrome monitor,
and Atari LASER printer. ISD has graciously added a complete Calamus
Desktop Publishing Package to round out the grand prize, which will be
awarded at the end of the day. Several developers have provided us with
software packages as prizes, and we will also be giving away other
hardware prizes as well as free TAF memberships throughout the day.
A full lineup of seminars is 90% completed for those wishing to
learn more more about their computers, and related products. If you have
a question regarding your Atari Computer, or if you are a developer who
wishes to demonstrate a new product or service, this is where the action
is taking place.
We still have some booths left, so it's not too late for anyone
interested in being an exhibitor to be a part of the excitement. If we
can answer any questions or if you would like more information, please
don't wait any longer to contact us.
Sincerely yours,
Paul Collard
Convention Coordinator
(416) 477-2085
PS - Atari Canada is still saying that the STacy will be available in
Canada by the end of the first quarter of this year, which could be just
in time for the convention!!). Now that alone would make it worth the
trip!
Mike Searl - TAF President................(416) 245-5543
FAX.........................................(416) 245-5089
TAF Online! - Club BBS.....................(416) 235-0318
TAF Infoline - Club Answer Machine..........(416) 425-5357
GEnie....................................... M.SEARL1
Convention Headquarters:
1990 Canadian Atari Users Convention
3 Union Street
Unionville, Ontario L3R 2H4
Club Address:
Toronto Atari Federation
5334 Yonge Street, Suite 1527
Willowdale, Ontario
Canada M2N 6M2
________________________________________________________________
> WOA ANAHEIM STR FOCUS? Wow... APRIL is POPULAR!
=====================
WORLD OF ATARI SHOW -> ANAHEIM, CA.
===================================
WORLD OF ATARI
==============
APRIL 7 & 8 1990
WORLD OF ATARI will be held at the Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim
California, on April 7th and 8th. For Reservations, Car Rentals and
Airline tickets, call: 1-800-842-9034. The hours of the show are 10 am
till 6pm on Saturday, the 7th and on Sunday; 10am till 5pm. Admission is
$5.00 per day or $7.00 for both days.
Atari Corporation will feature their full line of products. And of
course, many of the companies we are all familiar with will be displaying
their latest products.
Exhibitor Listing;
-----------------
Atari Computer Best Electronics
Beckemeyer Development Brumeleve Software
Carter Graphics Blue Chip Software
Computer Games + Codehead Software
Double Click Software BRE Software
Gribnif Software Soft-Logik
Gadgets by Small DataFree Industries
FAST TECHNOLOGY ICD INC.
JRI Inc. ASDE Software
Imagen Corporation LucasFilms Software
Maverick Creations Migraph Inc.
Megamax Inc. MichTron Inc.
Mid-City Compu-Soft Micro Creations
Prospero Software Sierra Online
Seymor/Radix Slicc Software
Softrek Marketing San Jose Computer
Talon Technology Word Perfect Corp.
Wuztech Inc. Sprokits Computer
Strata Software STV
Zubair Interfaces
plus many more...
_____________________________________________________
:NOTICE:
STReport Online Magazine, its correspondents and staff fully encourage
user participation in ALL Atari dedicated shows. We do not however,
endorse those who may conduct these shows for personal profit, nor
have we ever done so. In reviewing the course of current events we
find that a number of users felt that because we carried the
information pertaining to the WOA show, we endorsed the promoter of
the show. That clearly is not the case. We simply and completely
endorse Atari US and its endeavors to support the US userbase through
as many avenues as possible. We abhor the shabby date setting that
has been the norm so far this year. It clearly displays the uncaring
attitude of the various show planners involved. In the future,
STReport will point out the clash of dates that occur quite
vociferously and by doing so we hope to contribute to the elimination
of such occurances.
:NOTICE:
__________________________________________________
> WAACE '90 CPU/STR SHOW NEWS? "THE JEWEL OF EAST COAST SHOWS"
============================
For Immediate Release
WAACE AtariFest '90
===================
The Washington Area Atari Computer Enthusiasts will hold WAACE
AtariFest 1990 on October 6 and 7 1990. This event will be the premier
East Coast event for people who are interested in software and hardware
for Atari computers. The show will be staged at the Sheraton
Reston Hotel in Reston, VA. Show hours will be from 10 am to 7 pm on
both days. In addition to the shopping bargains available from over
thirty vendors there will be a full round of demonstrations, tutorials,
and seminars. A banquet on Saturday evening will feature a special
speaker on Atari matters and Current Notes Magazine's "Author of the
Year" award. Special mixers will cap off the evening's festivities.
Approximately 3000 visitors from all over the USA, Canada, and other
foreign countries attended the 1989 edition of the show.
Admission charges are $5 for one day, with a 2-day pass available at
$7. A discount rate is available for ticket purchases by user groups.
Children under 12 will be admitted free.
The Sheraton Reston Hotel is a spacious, attractive facility located
in a parklike setting near Washington, DC. The hotel is offering a
special room rate of $59 per night plus tax to Fest goers who reserve by
August 6th. The hotel room rate includes 2-day passes to the show for
room occupants.
The WAACE show has established itself as the premier Atari event for
East Coast Atari fans. Bob Brodie, Atari Corporation's, goodwill
ambassador, has labelled the WAACE show as one of the two "must see"
events for Atarians held in the USA.
-----\\\\-////-----
ATTENTION
--------- Atari Vendors and Developers
The above press release sets forth a bare bones outline of
WAACE's plans for AtariFest 1990. This event has achieved considerable
stature as a well organized, well attended, feast for Atari computer
users. The 1990 event will be the 7th edition, and it marks the first
time that the show will be held in commercial exhibit space with setup
and layout handled by a professional firm. This will provide you, the
vendor, with a more attractive and convenient setting.
Since we no longer have to make way for other users of the
facilities we will be able to offer longer show hours on Saturday and
Sunday. Our demonstration rooms will also be open on Sunday. The space
for sales areas, demonstration rooms, and seminars is arranged so that
access to all facets of the show will be more convenient, thus making for
a livelier, more "interactive" event on both days.
Exhibit Booths
The basic unit of exhibit space is a booth with dimensions of 8 ft
x 8 ft. Each space will be provided with an electrical outlet. The
attached diagram shows that there are approximately 60 such spaces
available. Larger booths can be created by combining these basic units.
We should be able to handle the requirements of 30 to 40 different
vendors. The price for basic exhibit space is $500, with substantial
discounts for early registration and for larger booth spaces as shown on
the attached price schedule. Booth spaces are separated from one another
by "pipe and drape" dividers. Setup and auxiliary services are provided
by Arata expositions inc, a professional exhibit firm with experience at
shows like the Federal Office Systems Expo, The Federal Microcomputer
Expo, and the Washington MacWorld show.
Arata is the OFFICIAL SHOW DECORATOR AND EXHIBIT SERVICE
contractorand they will work with you to arrange your booth space, to
handle shipments of materiel, and other such matters. Arata will be
notified when you have registered with us and you will deal directly with
them to make final arrangements, at your own expense, for the layout of
your space and the services that you require.
Computers
Atari Corporation no longer supplies computers for use by
exhibitors at shows. Those of you who are unable to carry the equipment
that you need to the show may attempt to rent them from a pool of
personal equipment that we will endeavor to assemble from our members.
Past experience has shown that this pool is limited. WAACE will charge a
rental of $100 for each machine and we will require a check for an
additional $100 per machine as a security deposit. The security deposit
check will be returned when the user is satisfied that his machine was
returned in proper working order. Machines from the pool will be
assigned on a first-come first served basis. Washington Area dealers may
be another source of rental machines, but you will have to make your own
arrangements through this channel.
Costs
Our exhibit space is no longer essentially free. The WAACE show
has no deep pockets or personal fortunes behind it. We will, therefore
need your money soon to cover substantial "up front" costs and to
provide the kind of advertising that will attract visitors to the show.
In order to encourage organizations to book early we are offering
substantial discounts (see order form).
Since WAACE is a NOT FOR PROFIT ORGANIZATION, the money you spend
will be used to directly benefit the show. Advertising in national
Atari media requires long lead times. Local advertising in Washington
Area mass media will be scheduled as our resources permit close to show
time.
The attached pricing schedule reflects increased costs associated
with space rental, exhibit space setup, security, and utilities. This
year's price also includes advertising in the show program, which was a
separate item last year. We recognize that small developers will find
this price schedule burdensome. We advise such organizations to explore
alternative ways to participate in the Fest. Some of these are
described below. Combining forces to share a booth is one obvious way
to keep costs down.
Hotel Reservations
The Sheraton Reston Hotel is a very attractive place to hold an
affair of this kind. All of you are, I am sure, aware that the cost of
exhibit space is directly tied to the number of hotel rooms that they
rent out. Early hotel reservations on your part will keep the cost of
exhibit space down and thus allow us to spend more on advertising. The
$59 per night rate that they are offering is a good one for this area in
October, which is one of heaviest convention months. Please reserve your
hotel rooms early. Only space reserved by August 6th will be credited to
our room count for pricing purposes.
Alternative Participation
It should be noted that all interests from the Atari community are
welcome at our show, whether they rent booth space or not. We only
require that everyone selling directly to the public use paid exhibit
space to do so. Developers and publishers may, however, elect to forgo
direct sales and participate in our demonstrations and seminars. Such
participants may bring their products to the show for distribution to
dealers for resale to the public.
We have lots of space on our seminar schedule for people who want
exposure to the public. Interaction with users in our demonstration
rooms is also a good way to put your best foot forward.
We will assist people who are introducing new hardware and
software in obtaining exposure for their products in our demonstration
rooms. We have a talented pool of sophisticated users who will work with
you to set up your product and demonstrate it. If you require
confidentiality we can arrange that, too. We hope that many of you will
take advantage of this. The best way to do this is to give us plenty of
lead time so that the users can be properly trained in the installation
and use of your products.
People who are introducing new products may find this show a good
place to get the exposure they want. If these products can be featured
in our advertising so much the better for all of us.
Advertising space is available in the printed program at a modest
cost. People who cannot make the show or who want to participate in the
demonstration rooms may find this an effective alternative form of
exposure (see pricing sheet for details).
Icing On The Cake
Right at the moment we have not lined up a banquet speaker with
the necessary stature. We are also scheduling auxiliary events such as
leadership workshops for users groups. We will be happy to add other
special events to the program. Developer tutorials, programming
workshops, MIDI Concerts, hardware clinics, press conferences, etc can
all be arranged if you want to work with us.
We want and appreciate your help in adding such features as will
make this show even more attractive.
Commitments
We are asking that organizations who intend to participate in this
show provide us with early notification of their intent. We will accept
letters of intent to participate immediately. These letters should
indicate the amount of booth space you expect to use and the amount of
additional advertising space that you will need. Organizations
submitting such letters of intent will be given first opportunity in
choice of space once the official table layout diagram is published.
Exhibitor Pricing for WAACE AtariFest 1990
Exhibitor Space consists of one 8 ft x 8 ft area divided from
adjoining area by "pipe and drape". Layout of table space to be
arranged between exhibitor and Arata Expositions Inc.
Price includes booth space with appropriate signs, 1 table, one
electrical outlet, and a half page ad in the printed show program.
Additional booth space is discounted according to the table given below:
Pricing Before After
1 July 1990 1 July 1990
1 space $400 $500
2 spaces $680 $850
3 spaces $880 $1100
4 spaces $1080 $1350
5 spaces $1280 $1600
Additional electrical outlets are available through arata
expositions inc for an additional charge. Telephone services must be
negotiated between the vendor and C and P telephone company.
Advertising space is available in the printed program at a rate
of $75 for a half page ad and $125 for a full page ad. Vendors may
increase their half page ad to a full page for an additional $50. A 20
percent discount will be applied to orders paid for before 1 July.
Advertising space can be reserved in advance, the final deadline for copy
submission is 8 September.
Payment
Binding assignments of exhibit space will be made as soon as
WAACE receives a deposit of one half of your total fees for space and
advertising. Selection of exhibit space is on a first-come, first
served basis. Only orders fully paid by 1 July will be eligible for the
advance discount on space and advertising. All space not paid for by 1
July will be reassigned as payments are received.
Contacts
Further Information or clarification on matters not covered in
this document is available from either of the people listed below:
General Chairman: Russell Brown, 13757 Mapledale Ave, Dale City, VA
22193. Phone (eves) 703-680-2698. GEnie: R.BROWN3
Vendor Activities: John Barnes, 7710 Chatham Rd, Chevy Chase, MD 20815.
Phone (eves) 301-652-0667, GEnie: J.D.BARNES
Revision Date: 13 March 1990
______________________________________________________________
> BRODIE IS TOPS!! CPU/STR OnLine? Bob Brodie IS Atari's BEST yet!
================================
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Bob Brodie speaks to Fort Worth/Dallas users!!!
Message-ID: <900311.01123891.034431@SFA.CP6>
Date: 11 Mar 90 07:12:40 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Internet
Lines: 75
Hello all,
In these days of ST uncertainty, no doubt exaggerated by so many
factors, it is refreshing to hear honesty and truths. Bob Brodie arrived
at a coordinated users' group meeting conducted by three Texas clubs in
the Fort Worth/Dallas area: North Texas Computer Team, Atari Users of
North Texas, and Dallas Area Atari Enthusiasts. Meeting in an auditorium
at the InfoMart complex, he gave an informative session, demoing
everything that the ST had to offer, short of the ATW, 030, and HOTZ box.
I thought that I'd share part of the meeting with you and do admit
that I feel a bit better about my ST investment. Bob started the meeting
saying that "ATARI ENTHUSIASTS ARE MOVING INTO CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
NOW." Interpret that as you may. The impression given is that the spirit
is returning to Atari U.S.A. and a lot of ground breaking is underway.
Here are some brief facts which Bob Brodie said may be quoted:
1. - Atari STe's in U.S.A. -- Seriously, any day. This is not
the old REAL SOON NOW phrase either. I expect the STe's to
be available very quickly.
2. - Mega STe's (!!) -- There is real serious talk on the Mega
platform. We have talked with developers and are getting
ideas. Currently, we are investigating whether to build
Megas with the standard internal port or an internal VME
port. Most developers have opted for the VME. This is
exciting and that is about all that I can say on it. Just
stay tuned.'
3. - Stacey -- Should be ready by April/May. The unit here at
InfoMart is not the same as what will be in production. In
fact, this Stacey is version #2 [Bob flipped the STacey over
and sure 'nuff, there it was--a numeral '2']. Here are some
changes that we are doing:
a. We are working from the high end STacey (four meg ram/40
meg hard drive) to the low end, rather than the other way
around.
b. There will not be a battery pack. The STacey sucks the
life out of batteries too fast. Instead, we are working
with a third market company that is producing an external
bolt-on pack which gives about four hours of life on the
four mb STacey.
c. Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac said that this would be
no problem for his use since electricity is available at
concerts and studios (referencing no battery packs).
4. - THE LYNX -- Available now at Sears. Production is cranking
now and it should be available nation-wide for dealers.
5. - MIDI-TASKING -- This is the multi-tasker that has been
mentioned in all the magazines. As far as I know, it'll be
available during the latter part of summer. The various
configurations are being experimented with. It really is
quite solid and will cost only $12.95.
6. - The EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE PROGRAM -- Objections to high costs
of exchange are noted but there is a reason. Too many
individuals were using the program to exchange older units
for newer. 520 STs with the older singled sided drives were
being exchanged for units with double sided. The cost was
horrific all in all to Atari. The rest of the users are
having to suffer for the conduct of a few.
7. - MONOCHROME MONITOR SHORTAGE -- GoldStar was holding back on
production. A threat by our part to use JVC resulted in the
resumption of production. The problem should ease by the
end of the month.
8. - STE'S AND MEMORY CHIPS -- They are all SIMMS chips, no SIPPS
in spite of what has been said on UseNet.
I was impressed with Bob and his answers. Perhaps we are getting
ready to see a Winter Thaw for this spring.
Larry Rymal: |East Texas Atari 68NNNers| <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>
Editor Note:
BOB BRODIE has been the SINGLE BEST IMPROVEMENT ATARI MADE since ..
gosh, that I can remember. He has proven himself to be quite capable of
providing a breath of fresh clean air in the stifled quagmire of double
talk that seems to come from most of the other 'spokespersons' for Atari
Corp.
As time has passed since the disaster of great hike in the exchange
program pricing, I must, once again point out that this program was,
without a doubt, the best in the industry and one of the strongest SELLING
POINTS the dealers had in offering an Atari ST over IBM, MAC etc... Item 6
above apparently details the "official" posture of Atari as far as why
the price hike was put in place. The bottom line here is what about the
poor folks who bought 520STF units without the knowledge that change was
right around the corner, were they supposed to get stuck with the single
sided drive? Apparently YES. Atari could have offered a program whereby
the dealers could've upgraded (there's that dirty word again eh, Atari?)
the users from the crippled S/S drives to a D/S drive. Also, many users
are STILL stuck with the D/S drives that refuse to do a proper window
refresh, (hit esc key and it re-reads either A or B drive). Atari begged
for problems with many users by ignoring obvious problems thus exhibiting
a callous attitude toward the users. The users were then afforded an
opportunity to exchange out the crippled S/S drive equipped 520stf units
through the exchange program as they had no other way to go.
To cite one situation as the sole reason for the "Big Gouge" thus
establishing the exchange program the JOKE of the industry. Atari Corp.
has managed to "put the spurs" to the users once again while citing
reasons for such an act that are outrageous when compared to the number of
users adversely effected by this "HORRIFIC" decision. The vast majority
of the Atari users now have NO dealer within easy access, and the exchange
program is the only real help factor left to those whose systems are down.
At this point in time, because the EXCHANGE PROGRAM IS SO EXPENSIVE, its
wiser to TRASH WHAT YOU HAVE AND BUY NEW! Which is not possible in many
cases because most of the Atari users work hard for their computer dollars
and have budgets they must adhere to.
____________________________________________________________
> UPGRADE PATHS CPU/STR Spotlight? ATARI'S ATTITUDE & THE USA
===============================
UPGRADES.. TO BE OR NOT TO BE?
==============================
by R.F. Mariano
Upgrades are a strange animal... when mentioned, most users react
differently. Some immediately envision gutting one machine and
introducing all new innards thus 'upgrading'. (not quite right). Others
see a user moving up from one model of a product line to another, more
expensive model with more features through the use of some type of ultra
generous trade-in policy (again, not quite right). Lastly, we have
those who are right on the mark. The users who look for and expect the
"upgrade cards" which can be readily inserted in their existing units.
These folks will not be disillusioned by any erroneous 'high hopes' of
trade-ins or any other incredible "free lunches".
A true upgrade path for any given product lies in the initial design
of that product. Here is found the bugger in Atari's design of ALL its
products. They have NEVER designed any sort of upgrade path into ANY of
their products. Their concept of an upgrade is; "Sell what you have and
BUY a new Atari unit". From a company viewpoint, this is a good sales
gimmick because it results in two users for every original machine sold.
Of course, this is only true if the user who sold his ST buys an Atari
again. That's where the real problem is found.. How many are actually
selling their existing gear and buying Atari computers again? Not too
many. The newer computers (IE; The MEGA2) have been purposely engineered
to provide LESS of an opportunity for third party developers to design
modular upgrades for memory etc. WHY? This folks, is the real bottom
line ----> BUCKS <---- Typically, force the user to go for every nickel
he has available to spend. There, now its been said. That simple
statement has been wanting to be said for quite some time. Sure all
business' are profit oriented, but at least they go about doing it with
some class. Atari, on the other hand, is continually caught performing
"the gouge" much like the kid caught with BOTH hands in the cookie jar.
All this contempt and extreme hard feelings towards Atari could
easily be rectified. Reasonably put, if Atari would make it their
business to release a machine (the TT) whose design incorporates SLOTS and
house the system in a case that makes sense (not the ludicrous appearing
wedding cake), the users would eagerly flock to such a practical device.
The US market has been trained over the years to fully expect to FIND
SLOTS in a REAL computer designed to perform REAL computing chores. The
time is truly at hand now, Atari had better listen to the pulse of the
market or..
FOREVER LOSE THE US MARKET.
In the early days.. the ratio was excellent, 9 out of 10 users that
upgraded or sold their systems were loyally staying with Atari by
purchasing the newer Atari machines. Nowadays, the figures are a somewhat
less impressive, the average is 4 out of 10 stay with Atari. Most of
these results are directly attributable to the lack of first rate public
relations with the US market and the haphazard treatment of the existing
userbase.
Another a good example, two and a half years ago, Atari was able to
pick and choose, rather selectively, those folks who would be their
dealers. Today, Atari is lucky if they can keep the dealers they have.
Nationally speaking, they have less than sixty (60) active, well stocked
dealers. Atari can consider themselves fortunate at this time if they
keep the users they have for more than two years ..period. And, at the
rate they are going, that figure is closer to 6 months to a year.
Nowhere, have we mentioned the developers.. the "less than 50 active
ones out of some 600 names on record"... Why? Because they deserve
special attention. It would appear that almost entirely through their
efforts the ST is kept alive at this time. Does Atari realize this?
Apparently not. Most of those developers still producing software and
hardware for the Atari computers have excellent inroads into other
computer platforms. Rightfully so, when one considers the overly
judicious methods employed by Salerno towards developers and the suicidal
business decisions by the corporate warriors. The time is really at hand
for Sam Tramiel to put his foot down and make Atari the force it should be
in the USA.
Atari has, through the expert use of its infinite wisdom and of
course, the extensive experience of its hired executive corps, managed to
alienate a vast portion of the US market. Their methods of attempting to
do business in the States has been an insult to the intelligence of the
consumer. For example, the continued and obvious attitude and use of
the.. "if you don't like what we do, take a hike" has given cause to many
loyal Atari ST computer owners/users to migrate to the IBM platform with a
vengeance.
In a recent development Atari US has laid off 11-15% of its USA
workforce. What a wonderful indication of their intentions as far as the
US market is concerned. When A. Ligouri was asked what the lay-off
signified the reply was ..to say the least, different. "It is a
reorganization more than it is a lay-off". Strange, but those who got the
pink slips are still unemployed, termination is termination no matter how
you slice or dice it. Do we (the users) once again hear the alarm bells
ringing? The same bells we heard when Atari poured millions into
Federated? Thanks Augie.. Here we go again, back to the mushroom patch!
STReport has been told by many that the layoffs should have started
with the "corporate warriors" who have poisoned Sam, Leonard and Garry's
outlook toward the US market. One such 'warrior' tells Sam, "Its too
expensive to participate in the Spring Comdex, Seybold and CEPS shows".
Seemingly this "learned, seasoned, well informed, corporate executive
feels its "too expensive" to participate in these US shows. Which, by the
way, leaves one to ask:
"Is it CHEAPER to travel to GERMANY and participate in CeBIT?????"
Its not and most folks in the US market place know this. So does Atari,
they also know (proven by their participation in CeBIT) that strutting
their stuff will definitely create strong interest in their products and
thus, generate positive sales figures.
"Even a poorly educated peasant in eastern Europe knows, "you can't
sell your potatoes if you don't show 'em off"
Many times we are asked, "Why does Atari SNUB the US Market?" "Why
does Atari insist on conducting business in the USA like rank amateurs?"
The most obvious answers we could find are:
A) - The high prices listed in the merchandise exchange program
have proven to effectively cripple its perceived benefits to
the loyal userbase. Atari's citing a few isolated abuses of
this fine support program as justification in putting the
"hammer" to the loyal users is a grevious error. The
decision also exhibits an apparent lack of concern for its
customer/userbase in a rather blatant and unprofessional
manner.
B) - The obvious absence of advertising with Atari citing every
possible excuse imaginable and actually hoping the US
consumers and Atari userbase will believe what they are
being told. Advertising is the "BLOOD LIFE of any business,
you must FIRST advertise to create an interest in the
product you wish to market, once the interest is
established, then and only then, using these interest
levels, is a manufacturer able to gauge the levels of
production needed to meet the demand generated.
"IN GOOD TIMES A COMPANY SHOULD ADVERTISE,
IN BAD TIMES A COMPANY MUST ADVERTISE!"
C) - Atari has, without a doubt, the most fiercely loyal userbase
of all the computer lines available in the US and should
take advantage of this loyalty in every respect. The best
way would be to reward the loyalty by making the new
products available on time as promised and allowing user
input through the use of questionaires furnished to
usergroups and publishers for distribution.
D) - Atari is truly intimidated by the enormity of the USA
marketplace. They seem to exhibit a conviction that they
could not possibly meet the demands placed upon them by this
marketplace if they did advertise properly in the USA.
STReport will continue to closely examine this situation and, as in
the past, will report to you, the reader, our findings and of course, the
reactions of our readers and folks in general.
As of now, with the apparent lackluster attitude of Atari toward the
US market and the scope of their thrust aimed at every market but the USA,
we see no justifiable reason to applaud the current batch of executives at
Atari (except of course, the new arrivals), including those "left over"
from the Warner days. We certainly hope the Atari hired execs don't
forget their "roots". Of course, we feel Atari 'owes' a certain something
to the USA for it has been our US Dollars, through sales of stock on the
exchange, that has financed their activities worldwide.
________________________________________________________
> DynaCADD 1.7 CPU/STR Review? When only the best will do...
============================
DYNACADD Vs. AUTOCAD
====================
Part VIII
by Myles Goddard
In our last session we went through the motions of setting up our
box drawing with Autocad. As you can see it took us quite a while
because the procedure took so many steps. To be fair though, I must say
that Autocad version 10 is much easier to set up than the previous
versions because of the improved user interface. I am assuming that
most users of Autocad are using versions 2.5 through 8, so therefore
cannot use the drop down menus.
We will start our drawing now, using Dynacadd 1.7 on a 1 meg
1040ST with NEC multisync monitor.
Of course our first step is to load the program from the desktop.
After loading the first thing you will see is the Drawing Parameter
Menu. From here you choose the drawing scale, paper size and units you
will be working with. Select the drawing size first. The choices
include the standard ENGLISH sizes, A through E, or 11" by 8.5" to 44"
by 34", ARCHITECTURAL sizes AA through AE, 12" by 9" to 48" by 36" and
finally METRIC sizes, A4 through A0, 21cm by 29.7cm to 84.1cm by
118.9cm. We will be using the standard English size 11" by 8.5" since
most common printers and plotters handle this size nicely.
Next we address the drawing scale. In our case we will be using
1/8 scale since that is the scale we used with Autocad. Go to the
Drawing Scale menu, click the "D:0001" box, hit the escape key and enter
"1", then select the "in" box to highlight. Next go to the "A:0001"
box, hit the escape key again and enter "8". Now go over to the "Ft"
box and highlight. From here we go to the "Activate Part" box and
click on. You are prompted for a part name, so enter "BOX.PRT". Next
go to the "Activate Drawing" box so enter your filename as "BOX.DWG".
The Main Screen will appear in a few seconds so now we are ready to
proceed. In the upper left hand corner of the screen you will see an
array of icons. These are your main entity selector icons. Here is
what they represent;
|------------------------------------------------------|
| INSERT | CURVE | DIMENSION | TRANSFORM |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| EDIT VIEW | CREATE | OUTPUT | INFORM |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| EDIT LAYER | | 2 & 3D TOGGLE | UNDO |
|------------------------------------------------------|
The first thing we have to do is to select our font for our
dimension text. Go to the create icon and click the left mouse button,
this will bring up a submenu. Select the icon of a disk with an "A" on
it. The loadfont window will appear and now you can select from a
number of available fonts styles. Select one and hit okay to return to
the main screen again. Select "Insert" from the top left icon array and
another submenu appears directly under it. This shows your drawing
entity types. It looks like this -
|------------------------------------------------------|
| POINT | LINE | CIRCLE | ARC |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| FILLET | ELLIPSE | ELLIPSE ARC | BOX |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| POLYGON | TEXT | SUBFIGURE | POLYFIGURE |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| SECTION | HATCH | SOLID | |
|------------------------------------------------------|
| | | | DELETE |
|------------------------------------------------------|
Select LINE from the panel and another submenu ( sub-submenu(?))
will appear.
|------------------------------------------------------|
| LINE | ORTHO | VERTICAL | HORIZONTAL |
| LOCATION | | | |
|------------------------------------------------------|
|PERPENDCLR | PARALLEL | TANGENT TO | TANGENT PT. |
|------------------------------------------------------|
|LINE ANGLE |LINE LENGTH| | |
|------------------------------------------------------|
As you can see, DynaCadd uses icons extensively. With a little
practice you should become a real pro in no time. As a matter of fact,
after using DynaCadd you might not want to go back to older, more
antiquated Cadd programs. Anyway, let's get back to our simple box
drawing.
To start, we select the insert icon, then pick LINE from the
submenu window, then another submenu appears on the left. Move the
pointer over to the ORTHO box. Now pick a spot on the drawing screen,
allowing enough room to draw the top line. After you have chosen your
beginning location, move down two icon rows to the LINE LENGTH icon. We
want the top line to be 4 feet, or 48 inches, since we are working in
inches. When you select the LINE LENGTH icon the calculator will pop
into view. Enter 48 and return. Now move the cursor anywhere to the
right of the origin point and the line will be drawn to the specified
length. Repeat the procedure for the right vertical line. Enter 36 for
the length and hit return. Place the cursor on the end of the top line
and click on when you are centered. Move the cursor down and the line
will stop at the 36" point. Repeat for the rest of the sides.
There is an easier way to make the box, and that is to use the BOX
ICON option. You need to be in the RELATIVE CARTESIAN mode to use the
box. Start by moving the cursor to any spot on the screen. Hit the
left mouse button and your "window" will rubberband. Move the
coordinates until they match the 48" by 36". Hit return or the right
mouse button and your box is drawn. Makes it easier, doesn't it? To
make the outer wall, we go to the TRANSLATE icon, go to the 3rd row, 2nd
column and select OFFSET. A new array of icons will appear. Select the
2nd column and the calculator will pop up. Input 3, for the three inch
thickness seperating the walls and hit return. You are now prompted to
pick an entity. Pick the top line, hit the right mouse button and move
the cursor towards the top of the screen. Hit the right button, and the
line is copied 3" from the inner wall. After you have done that, you
will need to connect the outer lines to each other. Autocad has a
FILLET command that you can set to a radius of ZERO. It automatically
connects any perpendicular lines. Dynacadd will not allow a radius of
zero so you have to go to the insert icon, then select ORTHO, and then
END so you can connect your outer lines. By using the BOX command, the
outer walls are drawn with the same ease as the inner ones. You just
have to keep your coordinates and locations in line.
Adding extras to our box is easy and fun to do too. In our next
and final installment, we will add dimensions and hatching to our boxes.
Then we will be able to go back and see what we have done with each
CADD program and perhaps we can compare the pros and cons to them. It
should be rather interesting. Until next time......
Myles Goddard
_______________________________________________________________
> Stock Market ~ CPU NewsWire? Watchin' the Schekles grow!
===========================
THE TICKERTAPE
==============
by Michael Arthur
Concept by Glenn Gorman
On Monday, Atari stock went down 3/8 of a point, and dropped another
3/8 of a point on Tuesday. It went up by 1/8 of a point on Wednesday, and
stayed even on Thursday, and went up 1/4 of a point on Friday. Finishing
up the week at 6 3/8 points, Atari stock has gone down 3/8 of a point
since the last report.
Apple Stock was up 3 3/8 points from Friday, March 9, 1990.
Commodore Stock was down 5/8 of a point from 3/09/90.
IBM Stock was up 2 1/8 points from 3/09/90.
Stock Report for Week of 3/12/90 to 3/16/90
_________________________________________________________________________
STock| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
Reprt|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|
-----|-------------|-------------|------------|-----------|--------------|
Atari|6 3/8 - 3/8| 6 -3/8|6 1/8 +1/8|6 1/8 --- |6 3/8 + 1/4|
| | | | | |
-----|-------------+-------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
CBM |8 5/8 + 1/8|8 3/4 +1/8|8 1/2 -1/4|8 3/8 -1/8|8 3/8 ---- |
| | | | | |
-----|-------------+-------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
Apple|36 5/8 - 1/4|36 7/8 +1/4|36 3/4 -1/8|36 3/4 -- |40 1/4 +3 1/2|
| | | | | |
-----|-------------+-------------+------------+-----------+--------------|
IBM |107 3/4 |106 1/4 |106 1/4 -- |107 + 3/4|108 5/8 |
| +1 1/4| -1 1/2| | | +1 5/8|
-----'-------------------------------------------------------------------'
'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.
ATC stock as of 4pm Friday, 03/23/90 - 5 5/8
_________________________________________________________________
> INSIDER TRADING CPU/STR Spotlight? The Crystal Ball??
===================================
TIMING, THE NAME OF THE GAME?
============================
Of note is how certain execs, listed below, sold between September
11th and 22nd at the absolute top of the ATC price range -> 11 to 12 1/2.
Perhaps they knew the price would not last. Of course, there is a chance
that their stock may not be sold under a certain price, which would make
everyone sell at once whenever it crosses a certain threshold. This is a
technique used in some company by-laws. Therefore, it may be against
ATC's rules to sell stock that's below 11. Of course, there are sales at
other times at prices well below 11 or even 10, evidently ATC has no such
provision. Could it have been they all knew the truth? And as a result,
they all decided to cash in a bit while the cashing in was "good to go".
Present immediately below, for your information, we present a list of
some of the high execs who own substantial amounts of Atari stock--the
Tramiels and a few others. Please Notice that Shiraz still has his 250,000
shares, and that Uncle Jack has 36 million shares.
ATARI INSIDER OWNERS REFERENCE LIST
Holdings and recent activity
----------------------------
Shareholder Total Shares Most Recent Class of
Office Held Activity Stock
=--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
T. Brightman V Pres. 84,500 11/25/86 C
S.W. Chin Director 114,600 09/22/89 C
M.V. Katz V Pres. 250,000 11/17/86 C
S.M. Kawalick V Pres. 15,000 09/21/89 C
G.A. Pratt V Pres. 62,500 09/21/89 C
L.I. Schreiber Director 224,000 06/19/87 C
Shiraz Shivji V Pres. 250,000 06/19/87 C
E.H. Southland V Pres. 0 11/05/87 C
J. Spiteri V Pres. 10,000 11/17/86 C
Time Inc. 10%+ owner 14,200,000 07/24/89 C
T. Tokai V Pres. 220,000 08/14/87 C
S. Tramiel Pres. 1,283,777 11/29/89 C
G. Tramiel V Pres. 1,353,094 03/16/89 C
J. Tramiel Chairman/Board 36,899,471 12/13/89 C
L. Tramiel V Pres. 1,118,096 09/14/89 C
Warner Inc. 10%+ owner 14,200,000 12/13/88 C
A few references to Insider Buying @ ATARI CORP.
Shareholder Date # Shares Price Total Held
=--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--
Time Inc. 07/24/89 14,200,000 N/A 14,200,000
Warner Inc. 12/13/88 14,200,000 N/A 14,200,000
Note:
These two purchases above are not really purchases, but transfers
that occurred when Time and Warner merged last year. Please note, no
other insider purchasers are referenced at ALL. In other words, not one
insider was willing to put his own money "on the line" in a display of
faith in ATC's future. Insiders at other companies commonly buy all the
time, when they know the future is getting brighter.
A few references to Insider Selling @ ATARI CORP.
Shareholder Sale Type Sale Date # Shares Price Total Held
=--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==
J. Tramiel Sale-Gift 12/13/89 21,600 N/A 25,302,156
S. Tramiel Sale-Gift 11/29/89 995 10.38 1,056,689
S. Tramiel Open Sale 11/17/89 30,000 9.75 1,026,689
***[NOTE: END OF SELLING SPREE ON 9/22/89.]***
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/22/89 2,400 12.13 114,600
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/21/89 4,000 12.38
S.M. Kawalick Open Sale 09/21/89 5,000 12.50 15,000
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 09/21/89 7,500 11.75 62,500
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 09/20/89 2,500 11.75
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/18/89 4,500 11.88 1,314,772
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/15/89 5,000 12.13
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/15/89 500 12.00
L. Tramiel Open Sale 09/14/89 20,000 11.75 1,118,096
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/14/89 1,500 12.00
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/13/89 5,000 12.25
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/13/89 500 12.38
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/13/89 20,000 12.50
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/13/89 10,000 12.25
S. Tramiel Open Sale 09/12/89 10,000 11.75
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/11/89 3,000 11.13
***[NOTE: BEGINNING OF SELLING SPREE ON 9/11/89.]***
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/08/89 10,000 10.13
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/08/89 5,000 10.50
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/08/89 5,000 10.38
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/07/89 4,600 9.25
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/07/89 5,000 9.88
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/06/89 400 9.25
S. Tramiel Sale-Gift 08/25/89 3,950 6.88
G.A. Pratt Sale-Other 08/18/89 5,000 9.50 72,500
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 06/13/89 10,000 8.25 77,500
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 06/01/89 1,000 6.25
S. Tramiel Sale-Gift 04/06/89 2,500 N/A 1,111,634
S.M. Kawalick Open Sale 03/29/89 2,000 6.75 20,000
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 03/22/89 10,000 6.00 88,500
G. Tramiel Open Sale 03/16/89 40,400 6.38
G. Tramiel Open Sale 03/16/89 5,000 6.50 1,353,094
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 03/16/89 10,000 6.37
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 03/16/89 5,000 6.50
G. Tramiel Open Sale 03/15/89 9,600 6.50
J. Tramiel Sale-Gift 03/08/89 200 N/A 13,726,441
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 02/08/89 5,000 5.50
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 02/08/89 3,000 5.38
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 02/07/89 2,000 5.25
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 02/07/89 3,000 5.12
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 02/03/89 3,000 5.12
J. Tramiel Open Sale 12/13/88 15,500 N/A 13,742,141
Warner Inc. Sale-Other 12/13/88 7,038,698 N/A
Warner Inc. Sale-Other 12/13/88 4,645,170 N/A
Warner Inc. Sale-Other 12/13/88 483,870 N/A
Warner Inc. Sale-Other 12/13/88 1,064,518 N/A
Warner Inc. Sale-Other 12/13/88 967,744 N/A
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/29/88 2,900 5.75 1,409,589
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/28/88 3,000 5.63
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/23/88 1,100 5.12
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/23/88 17,500 5.00
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/22/88 1,500 5.00
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 11/19/88 5,000 5.00 129,500
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/18/88 15,000 5.12
G. Tramiel Open Sale 11/18/88 9,000 5.00
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 11/18/88 5,000 5.00
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/21/88 500 7.12
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/21/88 9,000 7.00
J. Tramiel Sale-Gift 10/20/88 2,909 N/A 13,742,141
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/19/88 3,000 6.87
G.A. Pratt Open sale 10/19/88 700 7.00
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/19/88 2,300 7.00
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/19/88 500 7.12
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 10/18/88 4,000 6.87
S. Tramiel Sale-Gift 10/10/88 1,500 N/A 1,114,234
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/25/88 1,500 6.50 175,900
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/20/88 5,000 7.50
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/16/88 2,100 6.50
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/12/88 2,000 6.75
G.A. Pratt Open Sale 09/12/88 5,000 6.75 205,000
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/09/88 4,000 6.50
S.W. Chin Open Sale 09/08/88 1,000 6.50
_____________________________________________________________
> PCD2 And So? CPU/STR OnLine? Due to the success??? Aw Come on!
===========================
ctsy GEnie Atari ST RT
J.ALLEN27 posts;
Rick, as Doug said the 373s are only a problem if you are experiencing
random crashes in all modes of operation. You should check the power
supply voltage on the PCDII board. Is it really 5 Volts? If not adjust
your power supply...your one of the lucky adjustable people...to 5.0 Volts
on the PCDII board. But don't go over 5.2 Volts on the motherboard!!! If
needed run separate power and ground leads from the power supply to your
PCDII board using 18GA stranded wire. That will help, also you might want
to put a 100uF electrolytic capacitor on the PCDII board to help out. You
can get the stuff from Radio Shack. Good luck.
E.BURGESS posts;
Once again, has anyone been able to run harpoon? or simcity? Both fail on
my setup. Also has anyone run M1 tank platoon? It wont run off my IB
Drive. (that lousy key disk protection) Seems that PCspeed runs Harpoon
and simcity fine. Also lately my Ditto seems to randomly lock up, not
often but now and again it locks at the dos prompt. I may just disconnect
it and send it back soon as I am getting disappointed with it's
performance.
RRWELDIN posts;
Rick-S, M.HADLEY, everyone else,
It may not be your problem but, I felt compelled to relay my
experiences tonight. Hope it helps some of you...
When I arrived home a friend had dropped off his PCDII for me to try
on my 1040 Rev C, because my PCDII works GREAT! and he was having
problems with his on his 520 (external drive). For him it would only
work about half of the time. Before I go further let me say he is an
electrician by trade and an experienced hardware hacker. He soldered
his clip and tested all connections (he thought). The first thing I did
was look at his board to see if anything appeared strange or out of
place. What I found was a very loose coprocessor jumper, in fact when I
touched it almost fell off. After properly installing the jumper I
tested his board and it works just fine. For the test I ran Lotus 123
version 2.2, WordPerfect version 5.1, PFSWrite, Dbase III plus, Norton
Utilities and the New Print Shop.
The moral of this story is DON'T TAKE ANYTHING FOR GRANTED you may
overlook the obvious. .........Ron
R.MACE posts;
Rick Mace I add my name to Don M, B Hannon, and T Tallas, Is there any way
I can get the clip for my under the keyboard 68000 and then send the old
one in? If not I will send the old one next week. Oh if you have the
processor under the keyboard don't move the keyboard back. The power
supply really cooks keyboards. A resistor, a diode and a new keyboard
processor from the local tech. And a ton of tweak and we have Norton
4.2, and good spectrum pictures besides. Tweak and good ions count. I
too have precision or NASA soldering skills and don't plan on soldering.
If D. Sexton hasn't solved his heat problem yet try freeze mist to isolate
heat problem. I am happy for now, when I try shoe horning it all back
together it may be different. Oh Dbase II and III seem to work fine .
R.ANTLEY posts;
AvantGarde: I am currently having a problem with PC-DITTO/PC-DITTO2 and
my upgraded Atari SH204 hard disk. The problem manifests itself as an
error message: "Divide overflow" when I access certain disk partitions on
my disk drive. Some background: I have replaced the original 20 megabyte
hard disk in my SH204 with a Seagate ST251 HD. I have performed the
operations specified in the doc file for AHDFIX2, i.e., run after use of
HDX and HINSTALL ( I am using the Atari hard disk utilities). I have
reformatted the hard disk using the V3.01 Atari hard disk utilities, but I
still get the error message when accessing certain partitions.
I initially found the problem when I was in the process of copying files
to the hard disk for use with PC-DITTO2. I tried PC-DITTO to see if it
would give the same error message. It does. This leads me to believe
that the problem is with the boot sector, and probably directly related to
the fact that I am using a different drive than originally came with the
SH204. Could you tell me where in the AHDFIX2 program I could make
changes so I could update the partition boot records correctly?
S.TOMPKINS posts;
To Avant Garde_ Help! Help! Where's the answer to my message #232 from
last week. I would like to support you guys but you make it extremely
difficult. I never received pals, and I out an additional $80.00 for the
installing of PCDITTO 11 that didn't work. Let me know how to send it
back or take it back and fix it but do something!!!!! PLEASE REPLY TONIGHT
Steve Tompkins? Storm Techno-Graphics
BOOJIBOY posts;
Just to throw my two cents in. Like K.CHANDLER, I have a Mega 2 with a
Rev 5 board. But I found that it is impossible to see the clips and pins
on the back side of the CPU because the Mega Bus blocks your view.
Because the top of the clip is composed of numerous pins, it would be
quite painful normally to pull the clip back toward you. What I did was
use a pen and pressed it against the pins, thus giving me an excellent
grip. This allowed me to allow the clips bottom pins to be bent in enough
to assure a tight fit.
I don't have the Norton software, but I assume a 4.2. So far most
software works, but PRODIGY is v-e-r-y buggy. Usually crashes after
logging onto the service. I have only been able to get it to work well
two or three times, with the service locking up after ten minutes or so.
This would appear to be fixable with a software update by A-G. Also, B.
Dalton Software Etc. is having a PC software sale and has some excellent
deals.
Accolade's APOLLO 18 for $5.88 works great, so does Baudville's DREAM
ZONE (The serial mouse works with this game!), ALIANTS, HIGH ROLLERS,
CAPTAIN POWER AND THE SOLDIERS OF THE FUTURE, ZAXXON, and others. One's
that don't work are PINBALL WIZARD by Accolade, ALF'S PARTY KIT, and
DEMON'S FORGE by Mastertronic.
L.LOE posts;
I have a rev D 1040 and until recently PCDII worked great. I never really
used it for much or for very long. I have noticed a huge amount of heat
on my power supply and some of the PCDII chips. I have now been using
some database programs and notice that when much heavy sorting is being
performed, my PCDII locks up. This is a random time limit. It seems not
to be heat related. I heat sunk many of the chips and put a fan in the
ST ( using a different power source than the ST) and it runs really cool.
But the system still locks up at random. The end of a happy story is
looming near if I can't find the problem. BTW I checked for continuity
and 5 volts and all are OK.
B.COOPER2 posts;
Well, I've gotta ask for help. I've tried everything I can think of and
no good. My clip is soldered on, I don't have any IMP chips. I have a
MEGA 2 with a Rev 5.0 motherboard and TOS 1.4 in 6 eproms. No other
add-ons. When I turn on the system w/ PCD2 in place it generally goes
into a reboot cycle. Occasionally it will come up to the desktop, and once
or twice I have gotten to the Insert a DOS disk prompt. I have the
blitter turned off; I still have the 1.000 software, but most of the time
I can't even get to the point where it would make a difference. I have
noticed that the voltage on the card is rather low -- 4.7 to 4.8 volts. I
have experimented endlessly trying to fix the voltage problem -- powered
the floppy separately, brought in +5/ground to a chip on the PCD2 board.
I don't know what to do next. Help?
AVANTGARDE posts;
J.RODRIGUE13
Juan, Continuity test? Well, first, the test is accomplished without your
machine plugged in (so be sure to remove the power cord). I would also
remove all peripherals to prevent any ground loops (places for voltage to
sneak into your machine while doing this test).
Second, you should have an ohm meter (or a cheap continuity tester,
available from most electronic supply houses -- such as Radio Shack).
Now, with tester in hand, you remove the ST mother board from its case and
the metal shield pan it sits in (there are screws in most models, screwed
into the plastic case bottom).
With one of the probe tips, locate the first of the string of pins on the
top of our connector (cables are not attached at this time, either). These
pins protrude through the top of the connector and are the same ones that
make contact with the 68000 pins.
On the other side of the ST motherboard, touch the probe tip to the
corresponding pin of the 68000 (which shows through on the bottom). If all
is well, then you should have continuity. If no continuity, then you may
wish to write down those pins and return to them later to correct the
continuity.
The cables, as you will notice from other messages here, should not be
changed. They are specially designed with what's called a ground plane.
Inductance being what it is, electrically, the cable thinks its fully
surrounded with a shielding. The ribbon cable you can buy at most stores
does not have the shielding, and will not work with pc-ditto II reliably.
I'm having some Installation instructions regarding the cable placements
sent to you which may answer some questions and resolve the cable movement
problems you are encountering. Some people have the connector soldered in
for the best mechanical connection and to prevent vibration problems.
Thanks!
AVANTGARDE posts;
R.HADLEY
The pc-ditto II clip is similar to the Bus Expansion connector, as found
in the Mega St models. There are, however, some differences. I think the
68000 connection provides a little more flexibility, but overall the two
load- bearing capabilities are about the same, as we have learned.
AVANTGARDE posts;
T.LAWCOCK
You are right about the date. Actually, we have a software bug that is
killing the date returned to our pcdsettd.com program. That bug is
scheduled for a software corrections update in the near future. Also, of
interest, we have logged the PRTSC function as bugged, and a video BIOS
refresh bug that occurs in a couple of places.
Thanks!
AVANTGARDE posts;
E.BURGESS
Thanks for the info of programs that do and don't run. Actually, I have a
thought for everyone. First, if a program doesn't appear on our certified
software list, then we haven't tested it. In spite of the fact that
program may have run under pc-ditto, it may or may not under pc- ditto II.
Second, the problems with software not running under pc-ditto II, are
caused by our software. It was translated, in part, to interact with the
pc-ditto II hardware. Thus, most products will work fine. Those that
fail will be fixed. The fix will be a software fix, uploaded here on this
network, among other sources. So far, except from some isolated cases,
the hardware is stable. If there are problems running programs, the
problems stem from our new BIOS or some bug introduced when some of the
IBM hardware emulation software was translated for pc-ditto II.
Thus, if a favorite piece of your software doesn't work, don't panic. With
the exception of a few copy-protected software games (which no emulator
will be able to get around, because the ST disk hardware is incapable of
imitating an IBM exactly), most software should or will work with pc-ditto
II.
Keep in mind that pc-ditto II is new and has a few software bugs. Its not
all hardware. There is a lot of IBM iron that we are having to handle in
software to fool your program into thinking that the real IBM hardware is
there. We have tried diligently to test the software and kill any bugs
found. Many programs, especially the games, have never been tested by us
--- those that have been mentioned --- and when we buy our own, we'll go
full speed into shaking out any other bugs that even you as a market may
not encounter.
So, I'd appreciate hearing about any programs that do work, as well as
those that don't. We have gone through this same process with pc-ditto...
we first fix all known software bugs, then update the product with new
features. So, keep up the good work and let us hear from you. Thanks!
Bill Teal
ps, I mentioned the software bugs above, because we have had a couple of
board returned by people who, if they'd called, we could have provided a
simple software fix immediately, and their problems would have been
solved. Since then, one has asked for his board back. Either way, its
fine with me. I would hate someone to go to a lot of trouble, then give
up when a simple solution was available....and this is the same pattern
any other developer is going to follow, as well.
Thanks again!
AVANTGARDE posts;
GWULRICH
Replacing our pc-ditto II cables will certainly cause the symptoms you
described. Our cables are shielded, and plain ribbon cables will nor
(not) work reliably. The cables are $8.00 each. We don't keep huge
supplies around, since these are made up for us -- one for each hardware
board and connector .... which comprises a package. But, if you do decide
you need them, I think I can scrounge an extra pair.
Thanks! Bill Teal
AVANTGARDE posts;
ED.FOERSTER
I noted in one of your messages you said "use of the mouse seems to ran-
domly lock up PCDII". Can you give a little more info? Such as, which
mouse mode: SERIAL or GENERIC? and are you using the pc_dmous.com
program, or a program that uses the mouse directly, such as Windows? And,
which program(s) are you using the mouse with? Thanks!
AVANTGARDE posts;
TO ALL
I happened to notice someone mention that we haven't been online lately.
Not true. Actually, we have been sending a lot of e-mail in response to
message questions. Several people complained last week that they were
tired of reading "hundreds" of messages trying to find an answer to their
question (either directly to us, I suppose, or just a general answer from
the peanut gallery). Anyway, we had a lot request we just send a specific
answer via e- mail. So, we have been doing that. We're still doing the
public message thing, as you can see, but the e-mail system takes more
time, since we have to post several replies, instead of one general one.
We're still posting general ones, too. We're just catching up with the
tons of mail this system generates. (You SYSOPS should be on commission,
if you're not...there's big bucks coming in on this system). Thanks!
K.RICHARDS posts;
AVANTGARDE I received my new PALs today. I eagerly installed them on my
board; connected it up to my 520st/real old one with a supra 20 meg HD and
turned on the ST. My hard drive autoboot wont boot. The ST boots up with
default desktop. Its as thought the ST can't communicate with the HD with
pcdII connected. When I disconnect pcdII, the ST autoboots up. I have
checked the GLU and MMP; they are not IMP chips. I have TOS 1.4 6 chip
set installed. How is pcdII interfering with the HD reads???? I'll
followup with a letter. I'm at a real loss on this one!! Is my board ok?
I've already returned it once for you to install the PROM chip and am
assuming that you tested it!!! Help...........Mike
D.RICHARD posts;
AVANTGARDE - I am still having problems with my Ditto II. I have used a
continuity tester to check and recheck the connection on the 68K
processor. It seems to be fine. I have also already gotten the new PAL
chips from you. Sometimes Ditto II will work, but most of the time I get
the message to insert a disk, then freezeup. One time earlier today I
actually got into Ditto II before it froze. Is it possible that the new
PAL chips are not tolerant enough for all machines? I am using a 520ST
with the Aerco expansion board. My power supply seems to be putting out a
full 5 volts. Do you have any ideas?
M.HADLEY posts;
Further update on further frustration. In addition to all the previous
checks performed, I have checked the voltage on the PCD II board, now 4.95
v; I checked the jumper for the coprocessor; I even soldered a jumper
between the appropriate pins on a 40 pin header socket and plugged it into
the coprocessor socket. I still get a crash at the DOS prompt. I have
done everything suggested here, including trying it with both versions of
the software. Now answer my previous question: How much does the 'plug'
for the 68000 cost me, cause I am sending my board back and am NOT about
to desolder the plug from the 68000, which does have continuity on ALL
pins from the bottom of the ST's motherboard to the TOP pin lands on the
plug. Sorry, folks, but this one does NOT work. 65% work, my *%$. That
must be some kind of joke!!!!! But I am no longer laughing!!!!!
_______________________________________________________
> AUA NEWS CPU/STR FOCUS? Atari Users Association News
=======================
ATARI USERS ASSOCIATION NEWS UPDATES
====================================
by Derek C. Signorini
AUA Coordinator
Happy spring to everyone! As promised a few issues ago, I was able
to finally do some calculating (actually, SuperBase Professional did all
of the calcs for me) on the geographical breakdown of the AUA membership
and found that the AUA was represented in 4 countries to date with a
majority of its membership in the United States. That figure is not
surprising since the AUA is based in the US and I have most of my contacts
here. A distant second place is New Zealand, but from the looks of things
according to Jon Clarke, NZ will be catching up "real soon."
I also did a state to state breakdown of AUA membership and found the
AUA is represented in 33 states in the US with Pennsylvania and New Jersey
running neck to neck in total membership representation. This once again
is not shocking since NJ was the former home of the AUA and now PA is the
new home. I expect those figures to separate in the future, and also
other states will surely pick up once we begin a national promotion of the
AUA.
While the information is vague at this time, Eagle Software in Texas
has come up with a huge PD library that it will offer to the AUA members
at a discounted price. At press time, Tommy Harvey, of Plexus Systems
LTD., and myself are working out the details and as soon as we have some
sound information, I will pass it along to you.
Overall, in the month of February, the AUA grew a whopping 33% thanks
to the exposure on GEnie and here in CPU Online. I expect March to be a
equally promising month, since I have received many new applications in
the past 2 weeks and anticipate many more in the next few. If you have
been contemplating joining the AUA, now is the time to do it. Once we
have a sound membership, we will begin to move forward and begin to
implement the plans outlined in the AUA Charter. The ball has begun to
roll, and I am confident that the AUA is going to be successful in all of
its ventures.
Following is a geographical breakdown of the AUA membership. You
will see where the AUA is gaining support and those areas where the AUA
needs to focus:
*** AUA MEMBERSHIP BROKEN DOWN BY COUNTRY as of March 1, 1990 ***
======================================================================
United States 92.3% New Zealand 4.0% Canada 2.7% Finland 1%
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Countries represented: 4 TOTAL: 100%
======================================================================
*** AUA MEMBERSHIP BROKEN DOWN BY STATES as of March 1, 1990
======================================================================
AL 0.67% AZ 13.3% CA 2.7% CO 0.67% CT 1.2%
DE 0.33% FL 1.7% GA 0.67% HI 0.33% IA 0.67%
IL 2.0% IN 1.2% KS 0.33% KY 0.67% MA 0.67%
MD 1.66% ME 0.33% MI 0.67% MN 0.33% MO 0.33%
NC 0.33% NE 1.66% NJ 24.00% NV 0.33% NY 3.33%
OH 3.0% OR 0.33% PA 26.37% SC 0.67% TX 2.33%
VA 2.33% WA 1.66% WI 1.66%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total States represented: 33 TOTAL: 100%
=======================================================================
One more item before I close this week's update. The AUA has a new
address. The new P.O. Box number is 18053 and is not longer 18293. The
AUA is now a free standing organization and is no longer being sponsored
by just the Atari Elite of Pittsburgh. While the Elite still supports the
AUA and will help me out from time to time, the AUA must not be solely
sponsored by just one organization but rather it must be represented by
many organizations. Support for the AUA is growing every day, and User
groups are now becoming involved. Subsequently, I found it necessary to
make the AUA accessible to ALL user groups and not just one. I want to
thank the Board of Directors of the Atari Elite organization for letting
me use there mailing address while the AUA was getting it's feet off of
the ground. This Atari group will still offer it's newsletter, the
Electronic Chronicles Disk Magazine, as the AUA newsletter, and will also
help by offering the use of it's BBS. Because the AUA has grown out of
it's britches, so to speak, the AUA is being backed by ALL ST user groups
and not just by one and I am looking for the support of all user groups
around the world. If any user group wants to help in supporting the AUA,
then please write to me. Also, I am looking for newsletter submissions at
this time for inclusion in the AUA newsletter AND the Electronic
Chronicles Disk Magazine. If you are interested in writing for either of
these publications, then I encourage you to contact me at the AUA mailing
address. That is all for now...
Derek C. Signorini
AUA Coordinator
GEnie: DC.SIGNORINI The Atari User's Association
CIS: 72327,1060 P.O. Box 18053
FNET: Node #19, DC Signorini Pittsburgh, PA 15236
FIDO: 1:129/96.2, DC Signorini BBS SUPPORT: 412-653-7540 DualHST
Microtyme is an Official AUA Supplier at 1-800-255-5835
--------------------------- Clip Here ---------------------------
////////// // // ////////// ** ** **
// // // // // // ** ** **
// // // // // // ** ** **
////////// // // ////////// ** ** **
// // // // // // *** ** ***
// // ////////// // // *** ** ***
THE ATARI USER'S ASSOCIATION SUPPORTING THE REVOLUTION
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Thank you for your interest in the Atari User's Association.
Please take the time to complete this application and mail it
to the address below.
========================================================================
First Name:_____________________ LastName:______________________________
Address:________________________________________________________________
City:________________________________ ST:____ Zipcode:__________________
Country:_____________________________ Age:(optional)____________________
Telephone: __________________________ Work: ____________________________
[ ] Check here to place name in the AUA Public Membership Directory
(This will allow you to be placed on national mailing lists for Atari
ST products and information)
========================================================================
HARDWARE: [ ]520ST [ ]1040ST [ ]MEGA 2 [ ]MEGA 4 [ ]STacy [ ]Other
MONITOR : [ ]COLOR [ ]MONO [ ]OTHER:___________________________________
DRIVES : [ ]DSDD [ ]SSDD [ ]HARD DRIVE Model/Size:___________________
PRINTER : [ ]9 Pin Dot Matrix [ ]24 Pin Dot Matrix [ ]Laser [ ]DeskJet
Printer Model:______________________________________________________
MODEM : Max Speed [ ]300 [ ]1200 [ ]2400 [ ]4800 [ ]9600 [ ]14,400
Modem Model:________________________________________________________
OTHER PERIPHERALS_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
EMULATORS IN USE:_______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
========================================================================
Primary Use of your Atari
Computer:_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
========================================================================
If you are a member of a User Group, Please fill in:
UG Name: _______________________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________________
City _________________________________State _____ ZIP _______Country____
BBS # ______________________________________No. of Members______________
President's Name:________________________________Phone:_________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Comments:_______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
I can be reached at FNET node:___________ and/or FIDO
node:_________________GEnie_________________CIS______________other______
________________________________________________________________________
========================================================================
MEMBERSHIP FEES: [ ] Non-Active AUA Membership -- $ FREE $
[ ] Active AUA w/NewsLetter -- $ 5.00/year
Please Select ONE [ ] Active AUA W/Newsletter & Disk -- $ 15.00/year
========================================================================
Mail application to:
The Atari User's Association
Attn: D.C. Signorini
P.O. Box 18293
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
=========================================================================
MicroTyme Computers is an official supplier of the AUA at: 1-800-255-5835
=========================================================================
------------------------ Clip Here ---------------------------
___________________________________________________
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> A "Quotable Quote"?
=================
"There is nothing as dead ....as the echo of yesterday's applause!"
Fig Newton...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CPU/STR? "Your Independent News Source" March 23, 1990
16/32bit Magazine copyright = 1990 No.4.12
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributed by Atari SIG user, Kevin Steele...
--
-----------------------------------------
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