Atari Explorer Online: 19-Sep-92 #9214
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 09/21/92-10:23:05 PM Z
From: aj434@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Atari Explorer Online: 19-Sep-92 #9214
Date: Mon Sep 21 22:23:05 1992
ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE
------------------------------
Published and Copyright (c)1992, Atari Corporation
1972-1992 - 20 Years Of Service
1196 Borregas Avenue
Sunnyvale, California 94088
AEO STAFF
~ Editor In-Chief......................................Ron Kovacs
~ Contributing Editor...................................Ed Krimen
~ Contributing Writer...................................Bob Smith
ARTICLE CONTRIBUTORS/AUTHORS
~ AtariUser Magazine....................................John Nagy
~ AtariUser Magazine...................................BJ Gleason
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
~ President, Atari Corporation........................Sam Tramiel
~ VP Software Development.........................Leonard Tramiel
~ Developer Relations Manager........................Bill Rehbock
~ Director, Marketing Services.........................Don Thomas
~ Director of Communications...........................Bob Brodie
~ Corporate Director, International Music Markets....James Grunke
~ Atari Explorer Magazine............................Mike Lindsay
Z*NET STAFF
~ Ron Kovacs ~ John Nagy ~ Jon Clarke
~ Bob Smith ~ Lisa Ruff ~ Mike Davis ~ Ed Krimen ~ Bill Whiteman
~ Dr. Paul Keith
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
September 19, 1992 Volume 1, Number 14 Issue #14
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| | | TABLE OF CONTENTS | | |
||| The Editors Desk.........................Ron Kovacs
||| Z*Net Newswire.....................................
Latest Atari News and Industry Update
||| Glendale Show Report......................John Nagy
Part One of a two part Exclusive Report!
||| Glendale After Show Conference.....................
Conference with Bob Brodie, John Nagy and John
King Tarpinian....
||| Atari Press Releases...............................
BCS Press Releases!
||| FCC Update.........................................
News from CompuServe
||| GEnie Flow Control........................Ed Krimen
Messages from GEnie ST RT
||| My Computer Friend........................Bob Smith
Stan Lowell Remembered
||| Portfolio Users Update....................AtariUser
Reprint from August 1992 Issue
||| GEnie ST RT News.......................John Hartman
Weekly News and Report
||| HiSoft Update.........................Press Release
DevPac 3 Notes
||| AtariNet.................................Bill Scull
New network for Atari Users!
| | | THE EDITORS DESK
| | | By Ron Kovacs
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Just a short commentary and update before we get into this weeks
edition.
We didn't publish an issue last week as news about the death of Stan
Lowell really shocked us locally. He was a close friend and someone
who will be greatly missed around here. I was going to include a short
memorial for him but after reading the article supplied by Bob Smith, I
decided not to re-write his comments which covered most of everything I
would have said. However, there will be a special issue of Z*Magazine,
next week dedicated to Stan Lowell where I will include my personal
comments.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone for sending condolences and all of them
will be forwarded to his wife and family.
| | | Z*NET NEWSWIRE
| | | Latest Atari News and Industry Update
| | | -----------------------------------------------------------------
ATARI FALCON AT BCS THIS WEEK
Atari Corporation will be in attendance at the Boston Computer Society
Thursday September 23, 1992. Invitations were sent out and received by
many press representatives for the 5:30pm showing. This press reception
will include a full demonstration by Atari's president Sam Tramiel.
Before the showing of the Falcon030 takes place, Sam Tramiel and Bill
Rehbock will be at a special taping for the program PCTV in New
Hampshire on Thursday afteroon. PCTV boasts viewing of over 40 million
people around the country. Check your local listings for additional
information. The program is expected to broadcast Thursday evening.
The Boston Computer Society will take place at The Copley Hotel, 138 St.
James Avenue, Boston, MA.
JMG ANNOUNCES FREE DISTRIBUTION OF FULL RUNTIME PACKAGE
JMG Software announced the worldwide release of the HYPERLINK RUNTIME
PACKAGE at the Glendale Atari Show. HyperLINK is a multi-purpose
product, the leading "Application Generator" product for the Atari ST
line. The most common use of HyperLINK is in database oriented
applications, where users can design custom forms, reports, graphical
screens, and also combine text, graphics, and other types of media with
the more common database files. The full HyperLINK package, with
Application Builder, Report Generator, and additional modules, sells for
$149 US and is available through Atari dealers or directly from JMG
Software. JMG Software, 892 Upper James Street, Hamilton, ONT L9C 3A5
Canada. Phone 416-575-3201, Fax 416-5759-0283, BBS 416-389-9064 GEnie
Address JMGSOFT.
INVISION ELITE
The Creative Genius and Program Designer responsible for this monochome
program is Harlan Hugh. DMC Publishing is proud to announce the release
of INVISION Elite for your Atari ST, STe and TT. A complete DEMO
version of this program is currently available in the GEnie library.
Many of you had the opportunity to download the DEMO free last month on
GEnie. Very little has changed from Harlan's original announcement,
except the price. The suggested retail price of INVISION Elite is US
$129.95 or $149.95 Canadian. INVISION Elite is a program which allows
you to create sophisticated black and white raster images. Stretch!
Skew! Bend! Rotate! Thin! Thicken! Copy! Outline! Anything you
want! If you can think of it, INVISION Elite can probably do it. Using
images that you create in the program, or ones from other sources, you
can manipulate your graphics in a hands-on manner to achieve stunning
visuals. INVISION Elite's easy-to-use processing features give you
limitless possibilities. The release date for INVISION Elite is
September 17, 1992. For further information, please contact: Nathan
Potechin, DMC Publishing, Inc., 2800 John Street, Unit #10, Markham,
Ontario Canada L3R 0E2 Tel:(416) 479-1880, Fax:(416) 479-1882, CIS:
76004,2246, GEnie: ISD, Delphi: ISDMARKETING
INFINITE COMPUTER BOOKS ANNOUNMENT!
Purple Mountain Computers, Inc. is now taking orders for our FREE
Infinite Computer Books catalog which contains over 2000 computer books
which covers general computer topics, and specific computers: Amiga,
Atari 8-bit, Atari ST, Commodore, Macintosh, IBM, Windows, and others.
To get our FREE CATALOG, send us e-mail on GEnie to: PMC.INC or to
72567,302 on CompuServe. Or write to us, FAX/call us at 206-747-1519.
Purple Mountain Computers has released a newsletter/newspaper called ST
News. ST News made for the benefit of all ST users and is free to
anyone. Included is an interview with the Codeheads, information and
dates about upcoming shows, a story on ICD's new Link, as well as
excellent bargains on recycled software and hardware for the ST, cutting
edge new software such as MacSEE, Diamond Edge, tremendous discounts on
other software such as the budget desktop publisher Easy Text Plus for
just $29.95 (the lowest price anywhere for a commercial Desktop
Publishing program).
1993 GLENDALE ATARIFEST ANNOUNCED
John King Tarpinian, Glendale show spokesperson and organizer, has
announced the 1993 Glendale Show for September 18 - 19, 1993. The long
time premier west coast Atari show will continue it's tradition after
another successful show just last weekend. Part one of Z*Net's
exclusive report is contained in this weeks edition of Atari Explorer
Online Magazine. Official updates will be circulated next year.
CODEHEAD ANNOUNCES WARP 9 (3.71)
CodeHead Technologies ups the Fun Quotient in the Atari world with
Extend-O-Save, the modular screensaver in the new version of Warp 9! No
longer do you have to put up with the same dull screensaver graphics day
after day -- with Extend-O-Save the possibilities are almost limitless.
Warp 9 now comes with 5 screensaver modules (maybe more by the time you
read this). The method for writing modules will be freely distributed,
so any programmer will be able to write new modules at will. PinHead is
now built into Warp 9, so you can remove one more program from your AUTO
folder. Full automatic control of the 'fastload' effect for specific
programs is included, just as it was in PinHead. A revamped Warp 9
Control Panel, with new controls, and an improved 'Save Config' option.
To upgrade from any previous version of Warp 9 to the new Extend-O-Save
version, just send us your original Warp 9 master disk and a check for
$15.00 (includes postage and handling). When you mail us the disk,
there's no need for a special envelope or disk mailer; simply put it in
a normal letter-sized envelope and drop it in the mailbox. If you own
any version of Quick ST or Turbo ST, you can upgrade to Warp 9 for just
$30.00 by sending us your original disk and a check. (The previous
limited $20 upgrade offer has been extended at this new price.) The
retail price of Warp 9 is $44.95. CodeHead Technologies, P.O. Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004, Phone: (213) 386-5735 (Mon-Fri 9A-1P PT), FAX:
(213) 386-5789, BBS: (213) 461-2095
COMPUTER NETWORK ANNOUNCES NEW PRICES
Atari has dropped TT030 prices and the Computer Network is passing on
the savings to you. Here is a list of our current prices: Atari TT030
with 2 meg ST Ram $1485, Atari TT030 with 4 meg ST Ram $1649, Atari
TT030 with 4 meg ST Ram & 4 meg TT Ram $1935, ADD Seagate 48 meg Hard
Drive $250, ADD Maxtor 120 meg Hard Drive $375, ADD Maxtor 213 meg Hard
Drive $689 (other configurations available...please call with any
questions). The Computer Network is also one of the first dealers in
the world to receive the new ICD Link host adaptor which allows you to
connect most external SCSI Hard Disks to Atari ST Computers. They have
a limited supply left from their shipment for the Glendale Show. So if
you are interested please call for availability and pricing. The
Computer Network, 1605 West Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91201, Voice
(818-500-3900), Fax (818-500-0751)
PURPLE MOUNTAIN FREEDOM FLOPTICAL DRIVE - Press Release
We at Purple Mountain Computers have been busting our buns working
overtime to get the Purple Mountain Freedom Floptical Drive ready for
shipment. It takes the place of hard drive and removable cartridge
drives (like the Syquest). This piece of hardware is incredible, so
read this very carefully. We are the first company to have floptical
drive ready for the ST. Now. At the lowest price. In fact, read the
end of this press release for the most incredible price you'll find on
a floptical ST drive. And hurry, because the drives will last forever
(well, almost) but the low introductory price won't! The Freedom
Floptical Drive (TM) is a 21 MB floptical 3.5 inch disk drive for Atari
ST computers. You can store 21 megabytes on each rugged and portable
diskette, and the media is fully removable. Here's the scoop on the
Freedom Drive: includes FREE 21 MB floptical disk, newest version
(currently 6.0.0) of ICD software, includes ICD Link adaptor, case, and
power supply, reads 1.44 MB and 720K disks (2 to 3 times faster than ST
floppies!), takes up very little space (4.7 x 7.8 x 2 inches). The
price? An incredible $399. Complete. Ready to go. You WILL NOT get
a better price than this anywhere. We are operating at a loss to get a
large number of units out the door and build up our user base. This is
an introductory special and the price WILL go up (we think that will be
sometime in October). There is a warranty, and we guarantee that the
drive will work on your ST system. Questions? Call us. Write to us.
Fax us. E-mail us (GEnie: PMC.INC, CompuServe: 72567, 302). Whatever
you do, claim your low low price today. We are taking orders as you
read this. Contact us for the current price. We stand behind the
Freedom Drive with full tech support. We also have an electric adaptor
that makes it compatible with international currents. Floptical
diskettes are $24.95 each in two paks (if you purchase a Freedom Drive
from us), and $29.95 each for users who do not purchase the Freedom
Floptical Drive. Shipping in the United States is via Federal Express
Insured and is $15. Contact us for shipping costs outside the US.
Purple Mountain Computers, Inc., 15600 NE 8th St. Ste. A3-412, Bellevue,
WA 98008, 206.747.1519.
COURT ISSUES INJUCTION AGAINST HAYES
Judge David Doty on September 15 issued a Preliminary Injunction against
modem maker Hayes which enjoins Hayes from running their recent ad,
headlined "Tick, Tick, Tick. Boom! You're Dead." The Hayes ad, which
ran in July and August of 1992 in a number of computer publications as
well as TIME and Business Week, includes a photo of several sticks of
dynamite wired to a timer. In the ad, Hayes warns users of a "fatal
flaw" that may exist in their non-Hayes modems that can paralyze their
ability to transmit data. The Court order prohibits Hayes from
"continuing to publish the advertisement" from "issuing the test kit
offered in the advertisement", and from "disseminating any information
that states or implies that the test kit is a data file that may occur
in a user's data." In granting Multi-Tech the injunction, the Court
stated that "Consumers have a right not to be subjected to deceptive or
confusing advertisements so that they can accurately assess the quality
of a product and choose a product that is in accordance with their
preferences." The Court found that the advertisement and test kit
"...would likely mislead consumers..." Thus, the Court found that
"...Multi-Tech has demonstrated that permitting Hayes to continue
publishing its advertisement and issuing its test kit would likely
undermine the public interest."
ANTI-COUNTERFEITING DEVICE IN PHOTOCOPIERS
The Bank for International Settlements (BIS) will urge color photocopier
makers to adopt a device to prevent counterfeiting. The use of
photocopying machines to produce counterfeit paper money has been
increasing in Europe and the BIS will ask photocopier manufacturers to
voluntarily introduce the anticounterfeiting device. From: PacRim News
Network
WANG WANTS COURT ACTION
On Friday, Sept. 18, Wang asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for authority
to terminate approximately 118 unexpired leases which the company now
has for various facilities throughout the United States. The company
will reduce its annual rent expenses by approximately $35 million as a
result of this action. At a later date, Wang will also ask the court
for authority to terminate approximately 85 additional unexpired leases,
an action which could result in an additional rent expense reduction of
$10 million. No hearing date has been set for this motion. The U.S.
Bankruptcy Code permits a company under the protection of Chapter 11 to
reject any unexpired lease with the court's approval.
COMPUSERVE AND VISA SIGN
CompuServe and Visa USA announced a new five-year, $72 million agreement
for CompuServe to provide network services for VisaNet, the bank card
association's point-of-sale (POS) authorization and settlement network
used by retailers. CompuServe is the exclusive public network provider
of dial-up POS credit authorization and settlement for Visa U.S.A. More
than 500 million VisaNet transactions were processed via the CompuServe
network in 1991.
SONY'S NEW PORTABLE CD-ROM PLAYER
Sony introduced the industry's first portable, self-contained Multimedia
CD-ROM Player. Designed for personal and business productivity,
information, education and entertainment, the new Sony Multimedia Player
integrates a CD-ROM drive supporting the CD-ROM XA standard, PC
compatible microprocessor, LCD display panel, speakers, keyboard and
cursor pad in a small, lightweight package (approximately 7 inches wide
x 2 inches high x 6 inches long, weighing approximately 2 pounds). The
new device also plays audio CDs and has an audio jack for stereo
headphones or speakers. It can be connected directly to a color
television and has a serial port for outputting to a printer, uploading
information to a personal computer or, with proper software, connecting
to a modem. CD-ROM titles created for the Multimedia Player also can be
played on a standard desktop CD-ROM drive connected to a pc. This cross-
platform playability benefits the customer, who can use these Multimedia
Player discs both on the road and with a PC. The Multimedia Player will
be available at retail in November 1992 and will have a suggested list
price of $999.95 This package includes a Multimedia CD, IBM's Secrets
of Power Negotiating and a coupon for a choice of Random House's
Audiobook Plus, The Civil War by Geoffrey Ward with Ken Burns and Ric
Burns; Compton's NewMedia Let's Go USA or King James Bible. A premium
Multimedia Player/software package, which will have a suggested list
price of $1,099.95, will feature The Wall Street Journal Guides to
Business Travel: USA and Canada from Ramdom House, and a coupon good for
the choice of one of 12 additional titles.
INFOWORLD PUBLISHING CHANGES NAME
Computer Buying World will be called InfoWorld Direct starting with its
November issue. The publication will maintain its own editorial staff
under the direction of editor-in-chief George Bond, in the same offices
occupied by Computer Buying World in Wakefield, Mass. InfoWorld Direct
will run hardware and software product reviews and evaluations derived
from research conducted at InfoWorld's Test Center in San Mateo, Calif.
POLICE ARREST HACKER
A 16-year-old computer hacker faces fraud charges for allegedly using
his computer to break into a long-distance telephone service system and
charge more than $10,000 worth of calls. The teenager faces up to 12
years in prison if convicted on all three fraud counts. Police said the
boy is also a suspect in other hacking cases, including one in which the
computer system at the Detroit Free Press was violated as a hoax. The
suspect not only rang up more than $10,000 in illegal phone calls, but
posted long-distance codes on computer bulletin boards so other users
could have access to them.
FCC ISSUES NEW RULES
The FCC issued new rules governing the fast-growing telemarketing field,
with the aim of cutting back on intrusive telephone solicitations. The
commission ruled that telemarketers may only call residences between 8
a.m. and 9 p.m., and banned telemarketers from making automated calls on
emergency lines, to health care facilities and on common carrier lines
on which the called party will be charged for the call. The new FCC
rules, which go into effect on Dec. 20, also require that pre-recorded
calls using an auto-dialer must identify the caller, give the caller's
number or address and release the called party's line within five
seconds of a hang up. The agency also banned using artificial and
pre-recorded voices, except for non-commercial calls, commercial calls
not transmitting an unsolicited advertisement, calls from parties with
whom there is an established business relationship and calls from tax-
exempt, non-profit organizations. The FCC also banned unsolicited "junk
fax" advertisements to facsimile machines and required that a fax
clearly indicate the sender's name and the phone number of the sending
device.
| | | GLENDALE: THE SUPER SHOW OF THE WEST
| | | Story by John Nagy for the Z*Net News Service
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
The Earth moved again in Southern California last weekend. Nearly 2,500
people scrambled to meet falling prices and rising expectations, while a
strange new bird circled overhead on Saturday and Sunday, September 12
and 13, 1992.
It was the Southern California Atari Computer Faire, Version 6.0, and it
was another major success for organizer John King Tarpinian and his
HACKS user group. This show series featured the first ever Atari
Corporate participation in a user group show when it began seven years
ago, and with a single interruption, what has become known as "The
Glendale Show" has been a top draw in every year since.
Held in the Glendale Civic Auditorium (as usual) in Northeast suburban
Los Angeles, the show featured 40 exhibitors, plus Atari itself. And
while attendance was down from 3,500 last year, this year's crowd
matched the 1990 draw of 2,400 plus. And according to the retailers at
the show, Glendale sales were never better than this year. Some
developers reported somewhat less sales than last time, but never was
heard a discouraging word, as each declared the show to be profitable.
As for the show-goers, the mood on the whole was uplifting, hopeful, and
excited about the new Falcon.
This year's show featured a preview of the long awaited Falcon030
computer. Crowds thronged around the demo machine on the stage of the
auditorium, as demos of the Falcon's outstanding audio and video
performances were given by Atari's Bill Rehbock. Also on hand from
Atari were James Grunke and, as always, Bob Brodie.
Atari donated the use of a half-million dollars of equipment for the
show, supplemented by personal machines brought in by the nearly 50
volunteers from area user groups. Proceeds from the show go entirely
toward show expenses and advertising, plus a startup fund for next
year's show, scheduled for September 18-19, 1993. As part of Atari's
general cutbacks in spending, there was no supplemental funding of
advertising, resulting in smaller ads and less overall promotion of this
year's show.
On the brighter side, Atari donated a full-fledged Falcon as a DOOR
PRIZE! Winner by drawing of the 14 megabyte with 65 meg hard drive
Falcon030 was Jason Spoor, who had also volunteered many hours of his
time in support of the show. He's had--and turned down--a number of
offers from buyers who want to get it before the October commercial
release date of the computer.
Glendale's show was another fully pipe-and-draped affair, with a single
Atari Corporate seminar held on Saturday. Dave Small was to give one as
well, but airline problems prevailed and he arrived too late. Why so
few seminars when other shows go the other way with multiple continuous
seminars? Explains John King Tarpinian, "Our people want to shop! And
when we take them AND a developer off the floor for a seminar, it's hard
on everyone." The operation seems to work well, as sales and
satisfaction at the Glendale shows remain among the highest in the
country.
Two sold-out Calamus SL classes were held on a reservation-only basis,
conducted by Mario Georgiou of DMC Publishing. Students got more than
their money's worth, and learned most of all that there is so much more
to learn about the DTP system that is now a full pre-press solution.
There is no banquet or formal Show activity on any night of a Glendale
show. Says John, "Remember, this is Los Angeles... we have Disneyland,
Magic Mountain, Hollywood, Santa Monica Beach, Universal Studios, and a
hundred other things to do. Everyone has their own idea of what's most
fun, and we don't push any one agenda." Many developers did enjoy the
now-standard Saturday evening party at the CodeHeadQuarters, though.
And the party/fellowship among Atari developers is an awesome thing to
behold--if you dare!
This week, I'll detail the dealers and developers and their products
shown at Glendale. Next week, look for a report on the Atari seminar
and Falcon demos in real detail (I've got it all on videotape, and have
to review it for every shred of information). I also sat in on the
private showing of the Falcon for the press, which included Jerry
Pournelle of Byte Magazine. Revelations made in that session will be
exclusively covered in next week's issue of Atari Explorer Online. And
photographs of the entire affair will appear online and in upcoming
issues of Atari Explorer and AtariUser (look for it in the October
AtariUser, available October 1).
THE GLENDALE SHOW EXHIBITORS, Alphabetically:
[Prices are suggested retail unless shown as $xx/$xx, where the retail
is first and the show sale price is second.]
ATARI CORPORATION: Bob, James, and Bill worked overtime talking to the
thousands of visitors, answering the same questions again and again...
"When will I be able to get a Falcon?" Well, at risk of repeating it
again, the answer is in Late October, when all dealers should have at
least two Falcon030 units. Production will then ramp up into 1993.
Again, look for much more detail of what Atari showed and said in next
week's issue of Atari Explorer Online.
ATARI EXPLORER MAGAZINE: New editors Mike Lindsay and Darren Meers had
a booth with back issues of Atari's house magazine, Atari Explorer, for
all comers. No stranger to Glendale shows, Mike and Darren hustled
stories and review possibilities for upcoming issues.
ATARIUSER MAGAZINE: Every visitor to Glendale received a September
issue of AtariUser ($Free) with their entry ticket. Though AtariUser
had no booth, theirs was the ONLY September Atari publication available
at the show! And AtariUser writers and editors (like me!) were
everywhere, getting ready for a special Falcon close-up in the upcoming
October issue.
BECKEMEYER DEVELOPMENT: Their Hard Drive Toolkit ($24.95 show price),
Hard Disk Sentry ($39.95) de-fragmenter and backup software was a major
seller. Also drawing attention was Beckemeyer's new kit that allows
installation and use of standard SCSI tape backup drive in an ST or TT.
BEST ELECTRONICS: Imagine an all-Atari yard sale, and you have Best
Electronics. As always, visitors combed the tables full of amazing
Atari junque and impossible to find parts dating back to PONG and up to
the TT030. At prices that would make Jack Benny smile. Wizztronics was
featured, showing Cartmaster ($199/$150), a way to keep 4 carts plugged
in at all times and switch among them, ideal for music software with
dongles, the Spectre/GCR, and scanners. Another Wizztronics item: a
Dual OS board, $129 with TOS 2.06.
BIO ILLUSTRATIONS: New to the Atari and soon appearing in the MAC and
IBM marketplace, Bio Illustrations features original art in IMG format
($11/disk). And oh, what art! Barry Shapiro painstakingly draws each
image of human anatomy, sea creatures, animals, etc., and scans them
using his Atari. It's the finest original biological illustrations I've
ever seen for computer use.
BRANCH ALWAYS SOFTWARE: Darek Mihocka had his amazing GEMULATOR for
sale for the first time anywhere ($299/199, shareware registration of
the software: $59), and the first release of the driver software is
competent indeed. While it requires a blazingly fast PC to run ST
software at familiar speeds, it works. Really. That's saying a LOT.
CLEAR THINKING: Once again, EDHAK V.2.36 ($29/$20), the anything-editor
desk accessory was offered and sold well by Clear Thinking of Michigan.
Also shown at the CT booth was AIM, the Atari magazine based in
Michigan.
CODEHEAD TECHNOLOGIES: With "The Cure for the Common Code," Charles F.
Johnson and John Eidsvoog gave their patented blazing demos of their
full line of utilities and applications. New and very, very hot was the
latest version of WARP 9, now at V.3.7 ($40 at the show), with EXTENDO-
SAVE, an extensible screen saver. They sold out on Saturday. Also
moving well was MegaPaint (sold out at $100) and the incredible document
processor CALLIGRAPHER (Pro, $125, Gold $175 at the show). The T-shirts
went away quick too.
COMPO: Now selling direct in the USA with a California location, COMPO
pushed lots of THAT'S WRITE ($199/$120) and WRITE ON ($99/30) word
processors, plus CompoScript was on sale for $200 (regularly $349).
COMPUTER NETWORK: A super-standout at the Glendale show, TCN is a
Glendale retailer that took a full 8 booths... and made it into
something else altogether. In a "backstage" format complete with bright
pink "stage passes," TCN had a curtained-off private sales floor even
larger than that at their store! It paid off, with sales topping any
two-day period in their history. (Try a MegaSTe2 for $705!) A MIDI-
MAZE setup provided protective custody for a number of small and not-so
-small fry. Tony Lee and company spent days without sleep preparing the
booth.
COMPUTER SAFARI: Jay Pierstorff brought Safari Fonts and lots more,
plus he introduced Steve Kipker of Steve's Software to Glendale.
D.A. BRUMLEVE: Our pick for Ms. Congeniality online and in person,
Dorothy Brumleve said she made back the cost of her flight in the first
half hour of the show. Sales and interest in her outstanding programs
designed for children continued throughout the show, between her
cigarette breaks.
DMC (ISD): Mario Georgiou represented the Calamus and DynaCADD folks
with continuous demos of Calamus SL on a TT and color monitor. Sad
faces prevailed on the main floor when Mario had to fold operations
during his classes in the lower level of the civic auditorium. Handouts
for Envision Elite and Cybercube Research graphics cards were popular.
(Some vendors think they should charge for the flyers and give away the
software, considering how many stacks of paper disappear at these
shows!)
DRAGONWARE: Chris Roberts returned to the Southland with a variety of
new goodies, the most asked about being PowerNet and PowerDOS,
networking solutions for the entire line of ST computers. G-MAN, the
Dragon Stacy Battery, and other products filled in his showings.
FAIR DINKUM TECHNOLOGIES: The mates with odd name from down under
demonstrated CYBERDROME, a space flight simulator/game/interactive
multiplayer adventure... thing ($39). Very impressive. John Hutchinson
was a treat to meet, ay!
FAST TECHNOLOGIES: Jim Allen and Tricia Metcalf had the Tiny Turbo
($599) and Turbo030 running, nay, screaming through demos. A new
product to be coming very soon from Fast is the TurboRAM board ($199
bare, $359 w/8meg), allowing any ST to have up to 8 megabytes of memory!
FREEZE DRIED SOFTWARE: The new kids on the block with that amazing
terminal program made a dazzling and perhaps almost too formal a showing
as their public premier played out with pleasant profits.
GADGETS BY SMALL: Mark Booth held the fort while Dave Small tried to
catch up to his luggage. Dave finally made it (after a string of
disastrous flight mixups) late Saturday afternoon. When he got there,
the MegaTalk board was the hot demo, while Mark happily sold out of his
sound sample disks several times.
GENIE: A virtual cavalcade of online stars: Darlah Potechin, Sandy
Wilson, Kene Estes, Dave Flory, JJ Kennedy, Steve McDonald, and more
offered demos not only of their online service, but of the new Double
Click terminal called STORM. Written by Alan Page, the man who did the
original FLASH for Antic, STORM is a totally new product... but not
ready for sale yet. FLASH II (no relation anymore) was also shown in
the booth.
GRIBNIF: CARDFILE 4 was the hot ticket at Gribnif Software. Rick
Flashman and Dan Wilga had the misfortune of finding that UPS would be
delivering their products to the hall the day AFTER the show ended. So,
they punted, and still scored well with the only product they had stock
in hand. The new address book and appointment calendar update CARDFILE
4 ($39.95) sold out, and the NeoDesk, Stalker, Steno, and Arabesque
demos were successful in generating sales of Gribnif products at the
retailer's booths. Hey, a sale is a sale is a sale.
ICD: Another horror story, this one in stereo. The product shipments
to the Glendale show and to a simultaneous Amiga show across town were
botched, and ICD had to load their staff with carry-on products just to
have ANYTHING to sell at the two major California shows. Yikes. Tom
Harker and crew made do, while shuttling back and forth between the two
shows. The new LINK ($119), ICD's modular answer to the question of how
to use an ST drive on a TT or Falcon's SCSI II port, was a show
favorite.
JMG: The Hyperlink folks had a satisfying update to the relational/
graphical database system ($149), along with a long desired new manual.
George Gerczy was smiling, so I think it went well.
LEXICOR: Lee Seiler, the graphical genius, simply dazzled audiences
with his animations, combined with endless lectures on how simple and
easy it is to do on the Atari. While the talks kept many of us in rapt
awe, I believe that Lee will learn to spell long before any of us learn
to draw like he can. A highlight of the Lexicor booth was the
interconnection of his Iris Silicon Graphics workstation with an Atari
Mega ST. Lexicor products are being designed to work on both, with the
graphic power of the Falcon being a motivating force. A Falcon graced
the Lexicor booth too. Demos of the Lexicor line of graphic software,
plus MONA LISA, a forthcoming SGI and Falcon title, were a delight.
MAXWELL CPU: Standing in for Tim Reyes who couldn't make it to Glendale
was Mike Fulton, ex of the LA area and now working at Atari. He showed
Silhouette V.1.39 ($95/$65), a progressively more competent and
versatile outline tracer and vector/raster art program. Version 1.5 is
due in a month or so, and can be upgraded for $15.
McDONALD & ASSOCIATES: ST INFORMER Magazine and the A&D line of
products were available as Rod McDonald an company showed their wares.
A plus at the booth was the HAYAI hard drive copying software of Bob
Arp ($59).
MICRO CREATIONS: A good idea that not many wanted but wouldn't die:
GIMETERM ($49/$35) is a graphic terminal program that has progressed
steadily and deserves another look. Atari wants to see it developed for
sending and receiving real-time vector graphic images. I wonder what
they have in mind there! Video Poker was also being shown and selling
well, especially after hearing the digitized splash of winning coins.
MID-CITIES COMP-SOFT: Another L.A. retailer, Mid Cities was in no way
outdone by the TCN folk. Although more straightforward in their layout,
the Mid Cities booths were decked in red and yellow, with matching t-
shirts. A MIDI band gave continuous performances and demos of hot music
software featuring the development team at Barefoot Software, and a DTP
area was showing Goldleaf and ISD products. It worked, as Mid Cities
sold out of TT's twice, and had to buy more from Atari on the spot. At
least 11 TT's left the Mid Cities booth, along with a ton of games and
other software at prices that would frighten small children and animals.
MIGRAPH: Winners of the "let's get John's money" competition, Liz and
kevin Mitchell had a hit with their new "WAND" full page scanner ($499
plus $199 for the base unit). Of the wringer-washer variety of unit,
the Wand does dynamite 400 dpi scans of up to 10 sheets per load of the
power base. Upgrades of Touch-Up and the Migraph Optical Character
Recognition software that embrace the new power of the WAND were also
shown and available.
OREGON RESEARCH ASSOCIATES: Bob Luneski brought his latest DIAMOND BACK
II V.2.50 ($49/$35)lightning fast hard drive backup program, plus a pair
of premiers for Glendale: Diamond Edge ($69/$50), a diagnostic and
repair system for hard drives and data recovery, plus Ultimate Virus
Killer ($29/$22), which needs no explanation.
S.D.S.: Sort-of showing the PHOTOMAN camera, Scott Sanders was telling
the intrigued about his current project: an enhanced (color compatible)
camera is now available to him for about the same cost as the Logitech
electronic camera he based his imaging software around. That means that
in just weeks, a new Atari Photoman product will be released that will
have higher resolution and better imaging using the new camera, at
little or no more cost than the one he WAS selling ($699 camera and
software, $99 software only). A color version of the software would be
next. I'll wait for that!
SUDDEN INC: Rod Coleman's ultimate text editor was streaking along on a
TT. Sudden View ($49) was called by Jerry Pournelle "the best
programming editor in the industry," and Rod is about to port the desk
accessory to the MAC and other platforms. This is software you have to
see to believe, and have to use to appreciate.
WINTERTREE SOFTWARE: Phil Comeau brought a new product to Glendale, and
it sold like thunder (oops). Spelling Sentry ($59/49) is sort of
everything that the accessory spelling checker Thunder and the writing
accessory Abbreviator were, together in a well thought out package. It
will do real time spelling checking through virtually any application
(even telecom, online!), and offer alternatives to your blunders. And
like Abbreviator, Spelling Sentry will do replacements for key
abbreviations without your effort at all. GramSlam and Grammar Expert
were also moving well.
Z*NET: That's us. We were busy finding all the info for our news
support of Atari Explorer Online, Atari Explorer Magazine, and
AtariUser. Pictures, too. No booth, sorry.
ZUBAIR INTERFACES: Z-Keys, the Z-RAM 4 meg upgrade, and more gadgets
were moving at half price sales! The 4 meg kit, regular $149.95 was
going for $74.95.
USER GROUPS: Hosting, without a booth, was HACKS of Glendale. Other
groups attending with booths where they sold PD disks, used software and
hardware, and of course, MEMBERSHIPS, were ACAOC, RAM, LOCH, SBACE,
NOCCC/ST SIG, and ACES (who also declined a booth in order to help out
more with volunteering).
NEXT WEEK: I'll take you to the Atari seminar with Bill Rehbock and Bob
Brodie, then to the press briefing with Jerry Pournelle, and finally,
give you an up-close look at the Falcon... all in the next Atari
Explorer Online Magazine!
| | | AFTER THE GLENDALE SHOW CONFERENCE
| | | Edited by Ron Kovacs
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Monday Night Real Time Conference - Sept. 14, 1992
After the Glendale Show with John King Tarpinian, Bob Brodie, John Nagy
<[Lou] L.ROCHA1>
Good evening and welcome to the show after the Show. Thanks to John
King Tarpinian, Bob Brodie and John Nagy for joining us. Let's begin
with opening comments from organizer John King Tarpinian.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
The attendance for Saturday 1784 and on Sunday 607 for a total of 2391.
The exhibitors that were at the show were as follows:
ATARI CORPORATION THE COMPUTER NETWORK COMPUTER SAFARI
OREGON RESEARCH ASSOCIATES CLEAR THINKING D.A. BRUMLEVE
SUDDEN INC FAIR DINKUM TECHNOLOGIES MICRO CREATIONS
BRANCH ALWAYS MID-CITIES COMP-SOFT
FREEZE DRIED SOFTWARE McDONALD & ASSOCIATES
WINTERTREE SOFTWARE BEST ELECTRONICS JMG
COMPO ICD S.D.S.
CODEHEAD FAST TECH. LEXICOR
MIGRAPH DRAGONWARE GENIE
DMC (ISD) BECKEMEYER
BIO ILLUSTRATIONS GRIBNIF GADGETS BY SMALL
ZUBAIR INTERFACES ST INFORMER MAGAZINE
ATARI EXPLORER MAGAZINE Z*NET ATARIUSER
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
We were very impressed with the upbeat mood of the crowd, and the sales
that our dealers reported. Even though the attendance was a little bit
down this year, the dealers reported higher sales. So we were very
pleased. In addition, we had a chance to spend quite a bit of time with
Jerry Pournelle. And he was impressed.
All in all, a very upbeat, postitive weekend. Lots of interest in
developing new products for the Atari Falcon030, and a number of dealer
inquiries as well. Dealer inquiries at a user group show are quite
rare, so I was VERY impressed.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
The retailers has greater sales $$$ this year than last. They were very
pleased.
<[Lou] L.ROCHA1>
Thanks Bob and John. John, how did this show compare from an attendance
viewpoint with previous shows at Glendale?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Last year's show had over 3,000 people in attendance. We attribute part
of the drop in attendance to the lack of advertising Atari was able to
provide the show this year. Plus there were several other unfortunate
events related to advertising that hindered attendance.
For example, EXPLORER was supposed to run an ad, but didn't. On the
other hand, Mid Cities SOLD OUT of TT's at the show, and bought more
from us at the show to fill their orders.
<[Nathan @ DMC] POTECHIN>
Congratulations on this year's show. Under the circumstances I think
the turnout was great. Who WON the FALCON 030 and did they take
delivery at the show? So I can make them an offer. ;-)
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
The Atari Falcon030 was won by Jason Spoor, and he did not take delivery
at the show. I don't think he's accepting offers. His personal unit
broke down 6 months ago, and he's been borrowing his club's CPU. Quite
a replacement program, eh? :)
<[James] J.FRENCH2>
Can you elaborate on the interest shown by Jerry Pournelle?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE> Jerry indicated that he was very impressed
with the sound capabilities of the Atari Falcon030. And that he thought
the machine was a very positive step away from the "same old thing" that
we see from the Macs and PCs. He felt that based on what we showed him,
he wanted to have an Atari Falcon030. And we are making plans to give
him a fully decked out unit, with all of the appropriate software,
shipped in a single case.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
I walked Jerry around the show floor. He was impressed by the Lexicor
booth and spent quite some time at the GEnie booth. Mario was in doing
the Calamus SL class so he was not able to show off Calamus SL. Better
luck next time Nathan.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
The audience LOVEd the first looks (and listens) of the Falcon! This
show had the same number of visitors as the Glendale of TWO years ago.
Last year was up a thousand from this year's 2400. I found no dealers
or developers who were UNhappy. All of them said they did well, and
were happy to see the level of interest that was shown at the show.
I sat in on the Jerry P. demos, and he was intrigued. And promised
coverage, as he is interested in viable challenges to the MAC/PC wall.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Jerry was quite pleasant. I enjoyed our time with him thoroughly.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
It was great as always to catch up with the friends we have made across
the wires... and see new products continue to come out.
<[Lou] L.ROCHA1>
Bob, would you like to comment on interest shown in the Falcon?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
In general, Bill Rehbock was mobbed by people on the stage while he was
giving Falcon030 demos.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
There was always a crowd around the Falcon.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
We had a crowd of at least four people deep all the time around Bill.
It was EXTRAORDINARY. I also couldn't help but notice that many of the
same questions are being asked over and over. The typical questions
were "What is the price?", "When will it be available?", "What are the
specs?" , etc. We need to make sure that Sam's Falcon030 conference
gets better distribution. :)
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
The sound demos, where Bill used the twin microphones, plugged into the
Falcon with no additional hardware, using the software that will come
with every Falcon... were wonderful. The sound is true CD quality.
Remember the first time you ever heard a CD? And how it made your hair
tingle? The Falcon did that all day.
<[Lou] L.ROCHA1>
I take it the MIDI people were crazy about the Falcon?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
The Music people went NUTS, so did the sound specialists. Scott
Gershwin of SOUND DELUXE showed up, and was VERY IMPRESSED!
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
Scott Gershwin (Born on the 4th, JFK, Honey I distorted the kids) was
dazzled, as was Stevie Wonder's road manager... and they WANT Falcons.
<[Lou] L.ROCHA1>
I'd like to get a developer's viewpoint for a minute. Dorothy Brumleve,
care to share your experiences?
<[Baaad Dot!] D.A.BRUMLEVE>
OK. I enjoyed seeing many of my customers once again. I had a new
product for this show, that is, one I didn't have last year. So I sold
a bunch of Multiplays! I enjoy the California ambiance. ;-) I'd like to
thank Atari for once again supplying my show equipment. Worked great!
And I'd like to point out what I thought was an especially professional
touch by HACKS... They provided vendors with real BUTTONS with a nice
show logo and the vendor's name.
<G.CROSS>
Bob, are there any press kits available on the Falcon that can be sent
out to user groups? We do put out newsletters, you know?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Gerry, the press kits are in development at this moment. I even got
FEDEX shipments at the hotel with revisions in them, and had a stack of
them waiting for me when I got back. When the material is done, we'll
upload them here, as well as make sure they get out to all your favorite
publications.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
Jerry, Look for photos and lots of information in this and next
AtariUser. I'm perusing the photos as we type.
<[James] J.FRENCH2>
Does the current version of Notator work on Falcon?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
James, I'm told that it does, as well as the beta versions of Notator
that we have in house that are in developement for future sales to
Notator customers. We are working very closely with C-Lab to ensure
their products will work fine on the Falcon. They have some exciting
new things planned for their products....but I can't tell you about
them!
<[James] J.FRENCH2>
Can you give any details as to what the direct to disk program does?
(Other than record direct to disk? :)
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Gee, James...that's exactly what it does, and there are a number of
devs working on that. Check the transcript from Bill's CO for details.
<H.NAGRA1>
Do you know what Jerry Pournelle means by a "new form factor" for the
Falcon in November? Is that a new case design for the Falcon?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
No, I'm not sure what Jerry means. I've only heard about the post. He
did indicate that he would prefer a tower case. He hates our function
keys, too. But we told him that there are plenty of other people
putting units in Towers, like Mid Cities CompSoft...who do it to TT030s
all the time.
<H.NAGRA1>
What was actually demoed on the Falcon for Jerry? He seems quite
impressed.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Re the demo, lots of stuff. :) We showed him a true color slide show and
a program that Leonard wrote that allows you to record sounds in real
time and manipulate them via the DSP and a few other things. He made it
very clear that he wanted one...as he handed me his address.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
New products that impressed me: GEMulator. Worked very well, very
satisfying--on a 486/33MHz ($$) PC. Full page scanner from Migraph. I
bought it on sight. Tape backup software from Beckemeyer. PowerDOS from
Dragonware. The LINK from ICD. Hyperlink, in an improved version, from
JMG. Calamus SL, still and forever. Lee Seiler's arsenal of STUFF,
amazing graphics. When he explains what he does, you realize how you
don't even have enough understanding to listen appropriately (don't
quite know the proper times to nod). And Mark Booth's sound sample
disks. Top notch.
<[No Biscuit!] CODEHEAD>
Hi folks. We really had fun this weekend, and want to thank HACKS for
their usual terrific attitudes and support!
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
We just supply an empty room. If it was not for the fine developers in
the Atari community we would not be able to do a show. Atari always
comes thru for us, too.
<[No Biscuit!] CODEHEAD>
I got to talk to a lot of our customers and that's always enlightening
and stimulating! The response to our new modular screensaver built into
Warp 9 was, er, excellent, to say the least. The new screensaver is
called .... <fanfare> Extend-O-Save ....Save.... Save....(hard to
simulate echoes in ASCII)... It's a modular screensaver similar to After
Dark for the Mac or PC, in that external modules.... can be loaded and
removed, and programmer's documentation has been made public. I just
finished uploading the programmers' docs earlier tonight, in fact... So
as soon as the sysops clear it, all you programmeroid types out there
can start turning all those neat screen hacks into screensaver modules.
<G.CROSS> John, some info on that tape backup software please? And did
Derek get that problem with the mouse movements fixed?
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
The mouse moves on the Gemulator were not particularly noticable by me
and Beckemeyer has their info online here. You can install any SCSI
tape mech and run their software.
Back to the Falcon... the pictures displayed on the old faithful SC1224
color monitor (ST/1985 vintage) were dazzling. To think that the old
CGA quality monitor can look that good... as good as ANY SVGA PC display
for graphics. And to think that ST High Res can be used on a COLOR
monitor (or TV!) now... with the Falcon. Whew. Looked better than I
imagined. Even the RF output was SHARP.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
I am proud to say that we have the BEST volunteers around. I think the
developer community is a bunch of swell people and ATARI always comes
thru for us. This is our 6th show and the large details are easy. The
little details need attention but that is OK. I get a warm fuzzy
feeling after the show.
<H.NAGRA1> Codeheads: Did you show anything new for the Falcon ?
<[No Biscuit!] CODEHEAD> We have some plans in the Falcon direction, but
since we don't have access to one as yet, we had nothing to show at
Glendale.
<[James] J.FRENCH2> Were there any games shown for the Falcon?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
James, there are several games that will be shipped with the Atari
Falcon030, Landmines, BreakOut, and... I forget what the other one is.
They all have terrific sound, and really, really good graphics. This
show was not intended to be a showcase for the Atari Falcon030, but
rather to be a place where our faithful users could come ... and in
addition to everything else that the Glendale Show has done so well, see
a brand new Atari product for the first time.
<V.HUTZ>
Is there a large dev base?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Well, we certainly do not pretend to have the same number of developers
as the DOS world, or the Mac. But we have been VERY pleased at how many
developers are interested, and we actually signed up developers at The
Glendale Show!
By a weird twist of fate, there was an Amiga Show in Pasadena, about 15
minutes from the Glendale Show. We were visited by a number of the
AMIGA developers at the show. We also made certain that we provided
developer docs re the Falcon030 to all of the developers in attendance
at the show.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
I can verify that because I brought some to Bill Rehbock myself and they
thanked me afterwards, the developers, that is.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
I couldn't hardly move without being asked about developing for the
Falcon030...it was amazing.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
It was interesting to note, as Jerry Pournelle did, that the NExT
developers think the Falcon may make MUCH LARGER audience for their
software, particularly DSP applications.
Atari may sell hundreds to thousands of their software applications for
each one that goes to a NExT owner... by comparison, Atari is the HIGH
VOLUME producer. Ironic.
<H.NAGRA1>
How bad is the interlace flicker on the TV output of the Falcon? As bad
as the Amiga or better? Also can we order Falcon docs now?
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
Impartial opinion on Flicker: I can live with the Falcon flicker. It
does not appear in most graphic screens. I CAN'T live with Amiga
flicker. And use an SVGA monitor, and you won't flicker. At all. Nope.
None.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Oh, the flicker question. :) John's right, especially on an SC1224. On
a SC1435 it's not as bad...and John's right again. :) No flicker on a
higher quality monitor. Remember the flicker comes when you are running
an SC1224 at 640x480x256 colors.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
I'm intrigued at the way the Falcon knows what output to give, based on
whatever is plugged into the monitor port. Neat.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Which is to say that it happens at a rez that we had never intended that
monitor to work at. :) Is that it?
<B.MALATESTA>
OK My question is based on the Gemulator and how Atari feels about it?
Also does that thing work. Can it hurt or help Atari?
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
Well, Bernard, I've been on record many times as saying that as long as
Derek purchases genuine Atari TOS chips, he will have no problems with
us. And this is only after checking with the highest level of
management here. Jack personally signed off on selling Derek roms.
I've seen Gemulator work, but personally, I'm not a prospective
customer.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
An opinion from the sidelines: the GEMulator will open few sales for
software devs. It will give people who move platforms a way to use
(quite well, too) their old software. But it does NOT in any way, beat
having an Atari.... it's EMULATION. And WAYYYYY behind a Falcon.
<[Ringo] LEXICOR2>
First I would like to thank all of the users that attended the show!
Also John King for all the work and ATARI Bob B for all of the support.
It was a great show for all. WE had a good time showing the hot new
demos. I got to see a large number of the Online personnel. That was
nice. Thanks to all. John King, let me know how the rest of the show
was I only got to see some of it. <GRIN>
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T>
This show has become a ritual end of Summer for me. It is good to see
friends that I only see once a year. Many of our developers, volunteers
and Atari staff have become REAL GOOD friends, in part because of the
show.
That is the most important part for me. Also, I feel like I am helping
our Atari community. Since I cannot program this is the best I can do.
<[John Nagy] ATARIUSER>
It was another winner. I'll know more about the show after I read my
report this weekend in Atari Explorer Online.... Really, it takes a
serious sit-down with the videotape, photos, notes, and a million
handouts (some devs noted that they should have charged for their flyers
and given away the software!)
I think it should also be mentioned that the volunteers gave not only of
their time, they brought their own equipment--in volume--to make sure
all the devs had EVERYTHING they needed. These folks worked til they
bleed. Of course, Tara's whip was responsible too.
<[Bob @ Atari] BOB-BRODIE>
We are thrilled that the Glendale Show was once again so successful.
Congratulations are in order to John King Tarpinian, Tara Jacobs, and
all the rest of the volunteers that we have in Southern California. As
usual, they did a first class job in putting on the show, as well as
ensuring that every exhibitor was well cared for. We look forward to
next year's show, which we HOPE will be in the NEW Red Lion Hotel
Convention Center in Glendale...actually within the Hotel itself.
While Southern California is where my roots are, I've grown to
appreciate the efforts of the volunteers even more since I've come to
Atari. The people there are truly exceptional...no other group(s)
provide this level of support, anywhere.
| | | ATARI PRESS RELEASES
| | | From Atari Corporation
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
ATARI SHIPS NEW MULTITASKING OPERATING SYSTEM WITH ATARI FALCON030
PERSONAL INTEGRATED MEDIA SYSTEM.
Upgraded MultiTOS System Incorporates Notable New Capabilities Based on
User Suggestions, Including Font Scaling Manager.
BOSTON (September 23, 1992) Atari Corporation announced today its new
multitasking operating system, called MultiTOS. Available with the new
Atari Falcon030 personal integrated media machine, the system will be
available in November at Atari distributors around the country.
"We took advantage of our strong user network and made many of our
upgrades based on input from dedicated Atari users and developers around
the world," said Leonard Tramiel, vice-president of system software for
Atari. "We designed the operating system around the way people use
computers. I believe the level of attention to users, and the degree to
which this operating system addresses those concerns, is unique in the
industry. We've built in more options and flexibility and at the same
time dramatically improved performance."
Immediate Pre-Emptive Multitasking Capabilities
Atari's MultiTOS is compatible with existing applications and upgrades
from software developers are not required. Running on the Atari
Falcon030, MultiTOS takes advantage of the hardware memory protection
built into Motorola's 68030. Users can confidently run a word
processing program without quitting out of a database or electronic mail
program first.
Unlike offerings from other personal computer manufacturers, Atari's
MultiTOS is pre-emptive. The system doesn't have to wait for permission
from one application before switching to another task. "Other
multitasking systems may leave a user waiting indefinitely, until a
calculation or manipulation is completed before changing to another
application," said Tramiel. "But MultiTOS is more sophisticated and
will switch between applications automatically."
The result is a true multitasking environment. Multiple applications
can be left running in background windows as new tasks are started in
the foreground window. A database program does not have to complete its
sort before the user changes windows into a word processor.
"NewDesk" Improved
In addition to the operating system enhancements, the graphic desktop
NewDesk has also been upgraded. New features include:
. Animated, color icons
. 3-D buttons and scroll bars
. Manipulate and resize background windows
. "Drag and drop" across applications
. Extensible file system support
. Use soft-loaded fonts
. Hierarchical and pop-up menus
Font Scaling Manager
Word processing and desktop publishing users will be especially pleased
with the addition of Font Scaling Manager (FSM). FSM makes it easy to
view any font size by allowing applications to scale text to any point
size. FSM also makes arbitrary font rotation and skewing possible, and
allows direct manipulation of font characters' Bezier outlines for more
advanced type effects.
MultiTOS will ship with the Atari Faicon030, available November 1992.
Additionally, MultiTOS will soon be available as an upgrade to Atari's
TT030. Demonstrations can be seen at authorized Atari dealers around
the country.
Atari Corporation (AMEX:ATC) is a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of
palmtop through desktop computer systems. The company sells its
systems, peripherals and software through authorized distributors,
resellers and integrators.
ATARI INTRODUCES FIRST COMPUTER SYSTEM DESIGNED FOR PERSONAL INTEGRATED
MEDIA
Atari Falcon030(tm) brings high-end capabilities to the market for less
than $1,000.
Boston (September 23, 1992) Atari Corporation today announced the first
available personal integrated media system, the Atari Falcon030
computer. From education to entertainment, personal integrated media
(PIM) has the potential to change consumers' lives as dramatically as
personal computers changed business offices. The system will be
available in November at authorized Atari Dealers across the country.
A full scale computer based on the powerful 16 Mhz Motorola 68030
microprocessor, the Atari Falcon030 is specifically designed for
personal integrated media functions. It gives even inexperienced users
the ability to combine and manipulate video, audio, animation,
telecommunications, text and graphics. The system is optimized for
these functions and incorporates technology usually reserved for high-
end production systems.
"The Atari Falcon030 is an ideal entry into the new and growing personal
integrated media market," said Sam Tramiel, Atari's president and CEO.
"It's a powerful system that gives users access to a whole new world of
applications. Yet the system remains easy-to-use and affordable."
Consumers will be able to use the Atari Falcon030 as a color video
phone, communicating in sound and pictures with other Atari Falcon030
users. The system makes it possible to create home videos complete with
text and music, record lead vocals on a favorite rock 'n roll classic
with the originals musicians playing along; narrate and score a family
photo album, produce a visual family tree, invent and play an adventure
game set in a childhood home; and much more.
Atari Falcon030 users have immediate access to advanced PIM capabilities
thanks to the following features:
||| Atari's Graphic Environment Manager (GEM) and built in graphics
co-processor
||| A true color mode that includes more than 65,000 colors, twice the
capability of the Apple MacIntosh LCII
||| The industry's only standard-equipped MIDI input/output ports
||| 16-bit stereo sound- input and output- for the highest quality
reproductions available at sample rates up to 50 kHz
||| Built-in composite and RF video outputs for easy connection to video
cassette recorders
||| External video sync for high quality genlocking
||| Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
||| Software for PIM applications such as desktop video productions,
animations, music and entertainment.
No other computer provides this level of performance and PIM
capabilities at a more economical price.
Applications Highlights
PIM technology will make thousands of new capabilities possible. There
are already hundreds of software applications available for the Atari
Falcon030, making it easy for users to accomplish a variety of new
goals.
Movie Quality Video
With the Atari Falcon030, users can explore new avenues in home video,
from inserting titles and credits to professional quality editing. They
can create music videos, cartoons, and school presentations.
The Atari Falcon030 offers state of the art graphics, true color 16-bit
mode allowing up to 640x480 resolution and a display of up to 65,536 on-
screen colors. It accepts external video synch for high quality
genlocking, and uses a unique overlay mode for effortless titling and
special effects. In addition, users can obtain composite video signals
directly from the Falcon030.
High Quality Video
Atari takes the music-industry standard -MIDI- one step further. The
only company to provide MIDI as a standard system component, the Atari
Falcon030 also incorporates Motorola's 56001 digital signal processor
(DSP) for the highest quality audio and special effects capabilities,
allowing users to remove lead vocals and create their own Karoke machine
or run music educations programs.
The Atari Falcon030 provides users with features that are usually
restricted to expensive, high-end machines. But without any additional
equipment, Atari Falcon030 users can record on two stereo tracks and add
graphic equalization and special effects such as surround sound,
harmonizing, reverberation, and echo.
Pricing and Availability
The Atari Falcon030 is a simple to use computer that doesn't require
add-on boards or other costly optional hardware. The Atari Falcon030
already includes exactly what users need. The machine offers a wealth
of ports for communicating with existing peripherals, and application
software for the Atari Falcon030 is readily available.
Priced at $799 with 1 MB of RAM, the Atari Falcon030 is ideal for users
who want a powerful, efficient, and cost-effective tool that can take
advantage of today's technologies. The system will be available in
November through authorized Atari dealers.
Atari Corporation (AMEX:ATC) is a worldwide manufacturer and marketer of
palmtop through desktop computer systems. The company sells it's
systems, peripherals, and software through authorized distributors,
resellers and integrators.
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari Falcon030,
TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk and BLiTTER, are trademarks of Atari Corporation.
Motorola is a registered trademark of Motorola, Inc.
Atari Falcon030 Specifications
Contact: Sue Baelen or Anne Ellingsen Ron Smith or Bill Rehbock
Redgate Communications Atari Corporation
(415) 777-3911 (408) 745-2000
(415) 777-0896 - Fax (408) 745-2088 - Fax
System Architecture
-------------------
||| Motorola 68030 operating at 16Mhz
||| On-chip demand-paged memory management
||| Seperate on-chip 256-byte instruction and data caches
||| Independent address and data buses for increased performance
||| Pipelined architecture
||| 32-bit data/address bus
||| 1, 4 or 14 MB RAM configurations
||| 512K internal ROM; 128K external cartridge
Sound
-----
||| Eight 16-bit digital audio DMA record and playback channels with up
to 50kHz sampling rate
||| Stereo 16-bit digital DMA audio input/output
||| SDMA sound/DMA co-processor
Digital Signal Processor
------------------------
||| Motorola 56001 DSP operating at 32 MHz
||| 96 MOPS performance at 32 MHz
||| 32K words of 0 wait-state static RAM
||| DSP connector allows easy connection of low-cost 19.2K baud fax/data
modems, voice mail systems, direct-to-disk digital audio recorders,
JPEG/MPEG image compression, etc.
Graphics
--------
||| 640 x 480 resolution and 256 colors in Super VGA
||| True color 16-bit mode allows display of up to 65,536 colors
||| Accepts extermal video sync signal to allow high-quality genlocking
||| Overlay mode for easy video titling and special effects
||| Optional overscan
||| 262,144 possible colors
||| Hardware-assisted horizontal fine scrolling
||| BLiTTER graphics co-processor
Expansion Bus
-------------
||| Internal direct processor slot for 386SX PC emualtion, DMA co-
processors, etc.
||| Optional processor socket for other co-processors
Standard Ports
--------------
||| SCSI II port with Direct Memory Access (DMA)
||| High-speed LocalTalk-compatible LAN port
||| Connector for analog RGB color (VGA or ST) or composite video
||| RS232C serial port
||| Bi-directional parallel port (also suitable for image scanners)
||| Cartridge poet (128K capacity)
||| MIDI in/out
||| Minature stereo plug input/output
||| Four 9-pin joystick connectors
||| Two 15-pin enhanced digital/analog controller and light pen
connectors
Data Storage
------------
||| 1.44 MB floppy disk drive
||| MS-DOS-format compatibility
||| Optional internal IDE hard drive
User Interface
--------------
||| Standard QWERTY keyboard layout. Low profile, sculptured ergonomic
design
||| 94/5 keys; 10 function keys. Seperate numeric and cursor keypads
||| Keyboard processor to reduce CPU overhead
||| 2-button mouse supplied as standard
System Software
---------------
||| Pre-emptive multitasking with adaptive prioritization (MultiTOS)
||| Inter-process commuication through MultiTOS messages and pipes
||| TOS operating system in ROM
||| Hierarchical file system with subdirectories and path names
||| Icon-based graphical user interface with self-explanatory command
functions
||| Online help
||| Multiple window user interface with icons and drop-down menus
||| NewDesk desktop and eXtensible Control panel allows customization by
user
| | | FCC UPDATE
| | | From CompuServe
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
The FCC has taken some action to reconsider some aspects of the access
charge pricing issue within its Open Network Architecture proceedings.
Here's a copy of the press release from the FCC:
Released: August 14, 1992
On July 16, 1992, the Commission adopted a Memorandum Opinion & Order on
Second Further Reconsideration, FCC 92-325, released Aug. 6, 1992. That
decision addressed the Docket 87-313 price cap new services test issues
raised in petitions for reconsideration of the Part 69/ONA Order, 6 FCC
Rcd 4524 (1991). It did not address the other issues raised in the
petitions for reconsideration of the Part 69/ONA Order. These issues
include the pricing standard for basic service elements (BSEs), the
elimination of bundled feature groups, and maintenance of the status quo
with respect to access charge treatment of enhanced service providers
(ESPs). Before acting on the remaining issues raised by the petitions
for reconsideration, we give parties an opportunity to update the record
in light of intervening events, such as the effectiveness of federal ONA
tariffs.
Interested parties should file comments on the request by September 30,
1992, and reply comments by October 30, 1992, with the Secretary, FCC,
1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554. A copy should also be
sent to Mark S. Nadel, Common Carrier Bureau, FCC, Room 544, 1919 M St.,
N.W., Washington, D.C. 20554, and to the Commission's contractor for
public service records duplication: Downtown Copy Center, 1114 21st
Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Copies of the petitions can be
obtained from the Downtown Copy Center at (202) 452-1422.
We will treat this proceeding as non-restricted for purposes of the
Commission's ex parte rules. See generally, 47 C.F.R. 1.1200-1.1216.
For further information contact Mark Nadel, Policy and Program Planning
Division of the Common Carrier Bureau, at (202) 632-6363.
| | | GENIE - FLOW CONTROL
| | | Compiled by Ed Krimen
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Some messages may have been edited for correct spelling, grammar, and
irrelevant material.
FALCON SIGHTING AT GLENDALE
---------------------------
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "Atari Falcon 030 Computer" topic (20)
Message 70 Mon Sep 14, 1992
R.SCHILLING [Rob] at 22:12 EDT
Just got back from the Glendale show and the sighting of a real live
FALCON 030!
Looked just like a 1040 STE except that the Atari logo was rainbow
colored and the nametag read "ATARI Falcon 030." Bill Rehbock was
demoing some amazing desktop video applications "Atari's answer to
Quicktime". He had a 75-meg video file that was simply awesome.
Also the Falcon was playing some great sound samples. Bill showed off
a graphic equalizer CPX to adjust the sound. Also he had a microphone
hooked up to the computer to show the DSP capabilities (echo,
distortion, flanging etc...).
All of this was running on an old SC1224 monitor. The desktop I saw was
640x400 (?) running in 256 color interlace mode. The flicker was not
too bad and did not affect the whole screen, just the windows, not their
contents. The desktop displayed looked just like a regular STE, nothing
fancy, but this might have been a pre-production version.
Bill Rehbock said that this was the final version of the machine. He
also claimed that there would be two Falcons at every dealer by the end
of October or thereabouts.
This show was fantastic and the Falcon sighting was worth the price of
admission alone. Thanks John King Tarpinian and Atari Corp.
Rob
P.S. All above information is based on my memory of events witnessed at
the show on Saturday, accuracy is not guaranteed. (Disclaimer :-)
====================================
MORE INFO FROM THE GLENDALE SHOW
--------------------------------
-=> In the "User Groups and Shows" category (11)
-=> from "The Glendale Show - 1992 ... 9/12-13/92" topic (12)
Message 235 Sun Sep 13, 1992
LEXICOR2 [Ringo] at 01:10 EDT
Nathan.
WOW! Excellent show........ I got to see and talk to Mario, THANKS. He
is really a pleasant person -- some what dynamic but great with SL.
Much like Lee Seiler and the powerful artwork/animation that he does
with Lexicor products. Lee is a master of the ARTS.
The first day was all work. We had hundreds of people running into the
area. The Falcon was running at our booth and also at the ATARI area.
Lexicor is displaying wonderful Falcon animations, Falcon rendering
samples, new version of Chronos running in the Falcon, and TWO new
programs... Phoenix-512 a program that renders in ST,TT, spectrum format
and also TGA 16bit Falcon and 24bit format! Image mapping is really
great. We had sample images running under the Falcon. Lee is also
displaying Monalisa, a powerful true-color 16/24bit animation and Paint
program on the SGI. I got to see the great RINO painting. The Rino
looks so real! For all ATARI users, Monalisa is a must have program.
The Terminator-2 demo had the Lexicor booth full of people. The demo
was running on the SGI and the Mega ST. The TT was running the new
Phoenix 512 program and Chronos. People were all over.
It was a very good show for all.
Nathan, I did see Darlah but we were all so bussy... Maybe tomorrow I
will see other things in other booths.
All others are at the party now!
Ringo
----------
Message 238 Sun Sep 13, 1992
DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] at 13:02 EDT
Well it is morning and Mario has survived. We did drag him out to see
the sights.
The mood of the crowd is decidedly upbeat, the level of excitement
reminds me of the very first Atarifests that I went to. Bill Rehbock
spent most of the day up on the stage showing the Falcon to a crowd that
completely engulfed him. I was so worried that people were going to
fall off of the stage!! :) What a trooper, he was on stage until 2:00,
when he and Bob were SUPPOSED to do a seminar...and in walked Jerry
Pournelle! A quick decision was made to spend the time with Jerry (good
move!) and postpone the seminar for an hour. Some of the seminar
attendees groused a bit, but when they heard WHY...all was well again.
Bob and Bill finally spent an hour and a half at their seminar, which
was very well received. When asked what Jerry P thought of the Falcon,
Bob replied, "Well, he asked for one!" Good news all around! As Bob and
Bill were trying to make their way back to the stage, ANOTHER member of
the media showed up, Linda from Newsbytes. I was pleased to learn that
she heard about the show from GEnie!
Mario from DMC Publishing/ISD gave a very successful seminar which was
very popular. One of these days, I'll have to take one too. :) He did
the seminar with a 26 meg TT, which was quite powerful. Lee Seiler of
Lexicor had a really different type of booth setup. He had an area for
users to sit in his booth, and see the way that his new paint program
MONA LISA worked. He had a Silicon Graphics workstation that he was
generating input from a Mega ST via a GENLOCK into the workstation. He
had a terrific looking demo that he digitized from Terminator II. Mike
Lindsay of Atari Explorer is here, taking subscriptions to EXPLORER, and
doing very well. He's getting lots of questions...both about the mag,
and what life at ATARI is really like. :) Dave Small had a series of
mishaps trying to get a plane to land in Southern California...his
luggage got here a day before he did! I can't wait to hear his stories
about this escapade! MID CITIES, a large LA area dealer has Dana and
Jeff from BareFoot Software in their booth, doing terrific MIDI demos...
great music all day long. The Computer Network took an entire island at
the show, and enclosed their area behind tall curtains, which gave an
interesting effect. It was like people disappeared behind the curtains!
Both dealers reported by mid afternoon that they had done better than
last years show! While we were showing STORM the young guys from Freeze
Dried Software were showing off their program for the first time ever at
a show. I'll have to get over to see what all the talk is about with
this program.
Tom Harker from ICD is in town, there is an AMIGA show going on a few
miles away in Pasadena...it was great to see him again. ICD is showing
The LINK, and everyone is impressed!
CodeHead is showing an upgrade to Warp 9 (version 3.7) with a new
modular screensaver. We're right next to them, and I'm hoping to get
over there to check it out when things slow down. We got to meet a lot
of our users in the GEnie booth, including BD Hall, and Ed Krimen. It's
always nice to see the faces behind the names. Ken Estes from the SCI
FI RTC and Dave Flory from the ALERT RTC stopped by to help out in our
booth, and to check out the Falcon. Next to the GEnie Booth is Mario
from DMC/ISD, showing the power of Calamus SL.
The GEnie booth was showing Flash II as well, one of the latest
additions to the market. People were really interested in the different
terminal programs available.
The show is opening now......more later as we can....
----------
Message 241 Sun Sep 13, 1992
DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] at 16:10 EDT
The show started out slow this morning and appears to be picking up.
The DMC Seminar is going on now as I type.
I have the Codehead folks next to me with their Extend-O-Save for Warp
9. Warp 9 was sold out yesterday and likewise with Megapaint. It
appears to be a good show for those Codehead guys. My hats off to the
Codehead Julie for a great party....
There were great sales on games. There were prices as low as $5.00. It
was amazing to see prices so low.
The Falcon is being shown and sure appears to draw a great deal of
interest. The stage has been quite busy.
Talking about a Falcon, Lee Seiler from Lexicor had one in his booth as
well. What a nice touch.
More later as we can.........
----------
Message 244 Sun Sep 13, 1992
ST-GUEST at 17:11 EDT
Kene here.
They're jammin over in the Mid Cities booth again. Behind me you can
hear bells and the screams of kids playing MIDI-Maze in the TCN booth.
People are on stage checking out the FALCON and Sandy has just returned
from lunch.
Everybody is having fun. The Wand scanner from Migraph looks great, and
BDT is showing off their tape drive software.
Yesterday I bought Spelling Sentry and Diamond Edge I'll have to play
around with them when I have a free evening next week.
I'd like to compare Diamond Edge with Hard Disk Sentry too.
----------
Message 248 Mon Sep 14, 1992
STACE [Mark] at 23:28 EDT
Well, I had a great time at the show! I, too, upgraded to the new WARP
9 with Extend-O-Save screen saver! Looks totally cool! I also plunked
down the cash for SPELLING SENTRY from Wintertree. Can't wait to to dig
into it. (A "online" dictionary is something I >really< need and have
been wanting for some time!)
It seems that show attendees were anxious to spend money! I sold my
used LYNX before the doors even opened on Sat! :-) Then, once they did
open I sold out on my soundbyte disks on Sat. I was up till 1:30am
(after CodeHead party) making more for Sunday and then I sold out again!
:-)
The Gadget's booth was just as busy as usual with Dave demonstrating
both SST and MegaTalk (now shipping). Dave was using dual Stalker
windows to send data from one MegaTalk RS-232 port to the other at about
900,000 baud! :-) That makes for a pretty fast network!
I was demoing Spectre GCR and, given the low price one can buy a Mac for
these days, I am amazed just how popular Spectre remains. Several
Spectres were sold at the show and both dealers had ROMs in stock. The
price on the ROMs appears to have dropped back down to around the $160
level.
It was fun leaving the MacPlaymate folder out on the desktop on my
Stacy/Spectre and watch people come up and open it up to see what was
inside. (It was a "locked" folder that showed "0 items" inside! <g>)
They were sooooooo disappointed when they opened it up! :-)
I would like to take this moment to thank JOHN KING T. and all the
volunteers at the show! I certainly had a good time and I am already
looking forward to next year!
I would also like to thank the fine folks at CODEHEAD and, in
particular, John and Julie, for the fine event they threw! I had a
GREAT time!
Mark
====================================
IN SEARCH OF USER GROUPS DOWN UNDER
-----------------------------------
-=> In the "User Groups and Shows" category (11)
-=> from the "Looking for Local User Groups" topic (2)
Message 38 Fri Sep 11, 1992
D.FARRINGTO1 [David <>< .] at 05:21 EDT
I would like to find some Atari user groups in Australia. If you know
how to contact them please tell me by E-mail.
David <><
----------
Message 39 Fri Sep 11, 1992
POTECHIN [ Nathan] at 08:29 EDT
There are many user groups across Australia. I'd suggest contacting
Alistair Campion at Atari Australia for a complete list. He can be
reached right here on GEnie at ATARI-OZ. I have been personally
receiving the monthly newsletter from one Australian User Group for
years, FEEDBACK from the Adelaide Atari Computer Club. O.O. Box 333,
Norwood 5067 South Australia Australia. There is ACE is SYdney,
Canberra Atari Users Group, Geelong Atari Users Group, Melbourne Atari
Computer Enthusiasts, Queensland Atari Computer Enthusiasts, W.A. Atari
Computer Club, Burnie Atari Computer Club etc.. I have a fairly complete
list. Perhaps you can indicate which geographic region and I'll dig out
some specifics for you.
Nathan @ DMC Publishing
----------
Message 40 Sat Sep 12, 1992
D.FARRINGTO1 [David <>< .] at 01:31 EDT
Hi Nathan:
Yes I would like to ask you about this town in Austrlia. I don't know
anything about the country of Australia except what I've seen on TV and
a movie or two (the place looks nice). Anyway, the name of the town is
Pyrmont, N.S.W.-Australia. Anything in a 400 mile radius will do. If
nothing I can contact Mr. Campion.
Thank you very much for the offer and the post.
David <><
====================================
SPEEDO. NO, IT'S NOT SWIMWEAR.
-------------------------------
-=> In the "Goldleaf" category (35)
-=> from the "FSM GDOS" topic (4)
Message 152 Tue Sep 08, 1992
WORDFLAIR [Lauren] at 23:02 EDT
We're very excited about the "new" FSM GDOS based on Speedo. Our initial
testing shows that it's completely compatible, and extremely fast! We
think it's a great thing to define a font standard, especially one that
has such and important player as Bitstream behind it. For those that
don't know, Bitstream is one of the largest font providers in the world.
They have an extensive library of fonts in Type 1 format that they sell
at extremely good prices. They recently released a font scaler that is
being used by both hardware and software vendors. With this new scaler
comes a new standard that will be supported on the Atari. The upshot of
this, is that you would be able to buy fonts at places like Egghead
software.
Watch this space for more news...
john@goldleaf
----------
Message 153 Fri Sep 11, 1992
S.DANUSER [Soul Manager] at 00:50 EDT
John - So, I presume you have a copy of the new FSM? I'm sure you can't
comment on availability dates, but perhaps a word or two on how complete
it seems? It would be nice to have a standard at Falcon time...
Soul Manager
----------
Message 154 Fri Sep 11, 1992
WORDFLAIR [Lauren] at 21:40 EDT
Soul Manager:
You again? Yes, we have the new FSM. Two points: it is perfectly
compatible, and is much faster. As to availability, Bill Rehbock said
quite soon on his round table from this past Wedensday. We really
believe in standards, which is why we've championed the cause of FSM for
so long. We've got arrows in our back to prove it!
Thanks for the post.
John@Goldleaf
----------
Message 155 Sun Sep 13, 1992
S.DANUSER [Soul Manager] at 04:15 EDT
John - I share your championing of the FSM standard. Old GDOS is simply
ridiculous, and while (my current version of) FSM GDOS seems to have
some flaws, I think it's a step in the right direction.
Sometime I'd like to hear the story of how Goldleaf got the rights to
FSM while no one else seems to. I envy the close relationship you must
have with Atari to get your hands on the fabled Speedo...
Soul Manager
----------
Message 156 Mon Sep 14, 1992
BHARTSHORNE at 20:31 EDT
John or Lauren, and more information available as to when you will send
the update to Wordflair? Are you waiting on the new FSM? (If so I am
not going to hold my breath unless you are given to permission to ship
it before ATARI releases it. Quite frankly their real soon news
translate into sometime in the next millenium...) Is the addition of
font caching the only major change to WFII?
----------
Message 157 Mon Sep 14, 1992
WORDFLAIR [Lauren] at 21:42 EDT
We have no special rights over other developers. It's just that
Wordflair II is one of an extremely small number of programs on the
planet that use FSM...
As for a speedo update to Wordflair II, I won't speculate on that one.
All I can say, is that we have plans to make a big update that will
encompass Speedo FSM, Multitos, and the Falcon. It all depends on when
Atari delivers...
Thanks for the continued support.
John @ Goldleaf
====================================
JULY/AUGUST ATARI EXPLORER ARRIVES!
-----------------------------------
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "Atari Explorer" topic (30)
Message 87 Wed Sep 09, 1992
POTECHIN [ Nathan] at 09:29 EDT
I just received the July/August 1992 issue of Atari Explorer. I LOVED
IT! Those of you that have already received it will understand. :-)
The magazine starts with a GEnie ad on the inside front cover. There is
a picture of this freaked out multi-game player that reminds us that
there is more to GEnie than the Atari RT's. Nah. :-)
This issue covers the Invision Elite announcement, along with the
upgrade offers from both Soft Logik and ISD/DMC.
And then Page 17-21 has both an article and the top 5 entries in our
second annual Calamus Creativity Contest. They look GREAT!
Page 32 has our 4 color ad that many of you have already seen in the
other Atari magazines BUT THIS TIME it is in a glossy using 133 line
screen and I think it looks fabulous, he says, freely admitting bias in
this regard. :-) Dean's volcano shot looks incredible.
And then page 33 starts a 5 page review on Calamus SL by the AE
Technical Staff.
Yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue. :-) Thank you to all the Atari
Explorer staff.
Nathan @ DMC Publishing
----------
Message 88 Wed Sep 09, 1992
D.A.BRUMLEVE [kidprgs] at 09:32 EDT
Yes, Nathan, the July/August Atari Explorer is well worth the read! And
somewhere in between the GEnie ad and the Calamus SL review, there's a
review of Multiplay...Can't imagine how you could have overlooked it.
;-)
====================================
TOS 4.0 IS MULTILINGUAL
-----------------------
-=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14)
-=> from the "TOS 4.0: When/where/which?" topic (25)
Message 47 Sat Sep 12, 1992
TOWNS [John@Atari] at 15:08 EDT
The ROM contains difference resources for each country. They are:
German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Swiss German, and Swiss
French. They are each a resource. This is done because the resources
are VERY different.
The country and keyboard are stored in Non-Volatile RAM and read when
the Falcon030 starts up. There will be a CPX that will allow you to
configure the NVRAM settings for Falcon030.
As for screen shots, I will try to get some done as soon as I can.
It is still WAY to early to say whether or not the features of TOS 4.0
will be put together into an upgrade kit for older TOS machines. We
will have to wait and see..
-- John Townsend, Atari Corp.
====================================
TT PRICES HAVE PLUMMETTED!
--------------------------
-=> In the "Hardware" category (14)
-=> from the "To TT or to STE, that's the question!" topic (27)
Message 40 Wed Sep 09, 1992
A.VALENT [Mike] at 21:08 EDT
Something that may have a bearing here - a little while back there were
a couple of postings saying that Atari had lowered their TT prices.
What can a TT be bought for now? A 4 meg TT RAM board?
----------
Message 41 Thu Sep 10, 1992
REALM [Joey] at 06:07 EDT
I asked a couple weeks ago and it was:
TT030/2-0 (2 megs ST RAM) $1399
TT030/2-50 (2 megs ST RAM,50 Meg HDrive) $1599
TTSRB2 (2 meg ST RAM Board) $175
TTSRB8 (8 meg ST RAM Board) $650
TTTRB4 (4 meg TT RAM Board) $299
TTTRB16 (16 meg TT RAM Board) $1099
TTM195 (19" 1280x960 Mono Monitor) $899
Prices may vary, as they say. Not as bad as the original $3750 price.
:-)
----------
Message 43 Thu Sep 10, 1992
D.CHARTER at 19:08 EDT
I have found a TT, 4 Meg ST ram, 105 Meg Quantum HD, and 14" color
monitor for 2350.00. Actually I found it a little cheaper, but you must
also count on the reputation of the store. The 4 Meg TT Ram is an
additional $299.
Duane
----------
Message 44 Thu Sep 10, 1992
REALM [Joey] at 23:14 EDT
If you're trying to cut corners when buying, get the 4 Megs of TT RAM
instead of the 2 Megs of ST RAM. You'll get more speed out of the TT
RAM and 2 megs of ST is plenty unless you have an SLM804/605. Then
you're better off getting the ST RAM board.
----------
Message 45 Fri Sep 11, 1992
D.CHARTER at 22:55 EDT
How good is the Atari monitor that was discontinued? I have a chance of
going either way. Of course it is quite a bit more expensive.
----------
Message 46 Fri Sep 11, 1992
REALM [Joey] at 23:42 EDT
I like Atari's monitor, believe it or not! :-) It has good picture in
every resolution, matches the computer and automatically adjusts to each
setting. The base is nice also since it perfectly matches the top of
the TT's case and fits in the groove. Even has the same vents as the TT
so it doesn't block the air flow.
====================================
| | | MY COMPUTER FRIEND
| | | By Bob Smith
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
I am writing this to tell you about a friend of mine and how you can be
close to someone and yet never have met them. This article is a little
different than I generally write, but perhaps it is needed.
My Atari computers have been used for many different and happy tasks and
they have brought me many pleasures, a fact I cannot dispute. But, I
have also been blessed with a great intangible reward by having my
computers. This has been the meeting of some extraordinary human beings
and becoming friends with them and additionally acquiring a few very
close friends. These friends of mine have all sorts of differences,
shapes and thoughts, but we have one common interest that has bound us
together and that is our Atari computers. Some of us are System
Operators (Sysops) on Bulletin Boards, some of us belong to a user
group, and some of us are just users, but all share the same interests.
Let me tell you about one such very close friend, whom I have known for
over 4 years and im that time we have shared humor, pain, good times and
not so good times. His name is Stan Lowell. You may recognize the name
by reading this fine publication as he is on the mast head as a
contributing writer.
I first met Stan when I logged on to a local 8-Bit BBS and found out
that the BBS was netting with others throughtout the country and Stan's
Bulletin Board was part of the net. At that time, I had sustained a
severe injury to my wrist and had to type in caps. Well, this didn't
sit right with Stan and he sent a few messages, with increasingly
pointed reminders, to turn off the caps as this was considered yelling
in the BBS world. Not being fully familiar with BBS etiquette at that
time, I thought that this stranger from New Jersey, of all places was,
being a real wise guy and as such I reacted with my best sarcastic
humor. Little did I know at that time that this would start a four year
battle of the most irreverent and funny exchanges on almost any subject
that Stan or I could think of. Along the way others have joined in and
this particular message base traffic has become almost indecipherable to
any outsider that is not familiar with the personalities involved.
As time went along, I learned about the computer, sysoping and what it
takes to run a BBS. My respect grew at the same time for these warriors
of the BBS world and what they invest of themselves into this chosen
advocation. Stan was no different in this respect and many a time I
could detect some of the frustrations that he had with the BBS and
sometimes when his harddrive had a very definite mind of its own, I
could just picture him sitting there mumbling, swearing, cajoling and
begging his harddrive to obey him. When you grow close to someone, you
learn that they are strong, frail, and share the entire range of human
emotions. Stan's wife and children are the type of people that anyone
would be proud to call 'family'.
Oh yes, I forgot to mention Stan's dog. This pooch is named Victory and
if you listened to Stan rant and rave about Victory, you would know the
name was very appropriate. It was my impression that Stan loved his
pooch, but could never quite master him.
Stan and I shared some caring times too. When I had injured my back, I
was always encouraged by Stan to hang in there and his genuine caring
and concern was of very strong help to me and I daily looked forward to
logging on to the local BBS and seeing his messages. It is a very
special feeling that cannot really be described. If you have a close
friend that cares, you will know what I mean. When I spoke to him by
phone, he and I would try to best each other in different things and
somehow it always came out even.
As we get older family and friends mean more and more and when you lose
one it is extremely hard to deal with. A few days ago, Stan went to
heaven and I'll just bet he is right now looking down on me and telling
me that he is still trying to figure out what my last BBS message was.
Stan, I will miss you more than I care to admit and yet your "GLOW" will
always be here. (You will have to read the message traffic to fully
understand that). Now Stan stop laughing and get back to fixing your
harddrive.
Stan, this "computer" is for you. (Take off on the beer commercial.)
| | | PORTFOLIO OWNERS UPDATE
| | | Special extended version for Atari Explorer Online
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
Reprinted from the August 1992 edition of AtariUser Magazine. This
article MAY NOT BE REPRINTED without written permission of Quill
Publishing/AtariUser Magazine.
PORTFOLIO ALERT:
As we all know, the Portfolio helped save the world in the blockbuster
movie, TERMINATOR 2. Last month, we told you how our Atari appears with
Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Dansen in the upcoming movie, "Made in American"
(watch for it in the doctor's office!).
And the Portfolio has also popped up a couple of times in the TV show
"Parker Lewis Can't Lose" on the FOX network. Keep an eye out and let
us know what you see!
Don Thomas of Atari Corporation has created a wonderful demo for the
Portfolio. This self running demonstration program is designed for IBMs
and compatibles, with VGA screens, and takes the user on a guided tour
of the Portfolio. It's available on Compuserve in the APORTFOLIO forum.
PORTFOLIO F.A.Q.
As a writer for AtariUser, a software developer, and as a Sysop on
Compuserve, I get asked a lot of questions. Not that I mind questions,
but a LOT of them get asked over and over and over again. In this
column I'll [once again] answer these "Frequently Asked Questions."
They're not in any particular order, and the names have been removed to
protect the innocent.
Q. How large should I set Drive C: to with the FDISK command?
A. If the computer should ever crash, all the files on drive C are lost.
Many users keep all their files on the RAMcard, and set the C drive
to about 8k with the FDISK command. This will leave you about 100k
of free memory for your applications.
Q. Why does the screen flash when the computer is off?
A. New users will occasionally notice the screen flash when the unit is
turned off. The computer will turn itself on about every two minutes
to check the alarms in the diary.
Q. How often should the battery in the RAMcard be replaced?
A. The battery in a memory card lasts about one year. In order to make
sure you replace the battery in time, write the replacement date on
the card. You could also set the diary to alert you in about a year.
To replace the battery without losing your stored data, insert the
RAMcard into the Portfolio, and turn the Portfolio ON. The Portfolio
will power the RAMcard while the RAMcard battery is pulled out and
replaced. Do not let the Portfolio power down automatically [after
2 minutes], or you will lose all the information.
Q. Can I use Nicads in the Portfolio?
A. It's possible to use rechargeable batteries in the Portfolio, but be
warned--the discharge drop-off on rechargeable batteries are much
steeper than normal alkaline batteries, so you might not even see the
LOW BATTERY warning. Keep everything on a RAMcard is you want to use
rechargables.
Q. Will the Parallel port and/or Serial port drain the batteries faster?
A. Whenever using the serial or parallel port, you should always use the
AC adapter. These ports require about as much power as the Portfolio
and will quickly drain the batteries.
Q. Will the Portfolio run IBM files?
A. Because of the unique design of the Portfolio, not all programs
designed for a PC will run it. The most common reason is that many
programs directly address the hardware. Much of the Portfolio's
hardware is slightly different and this will cause a conflict. There
are some other differences, but to make the Portfolio as compatible
as possible with a PC, access the SETUP menu and under DISPLAY set
EXTERNAL MODE to TRACKED, REFRESH to BOTH, and SPEED to FAST. Note
however, that the FAST setting will use up your batteries quicker.
Q. What is the UPDATE program?
A. Atari has released an UPDATE program to fix some bugs in the
Portfolio. The UPDATE program is available from several sources.
You can get the program from Atari on the DOS Utility Card (HPC-701
$89.85) or on the File Manager/Tutorial Card (HPC-704 $20.00). You
can also download the program from the Portfolio areas on both GENIE
and COMPUSERVE. It can also be found on Atari's own bulletin board
(408-745-2191), but first-time callers will have to wait two business
days for validation. Once you have the program, place the UPDATE
command in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that it is activated when you
reboot your machine.
Q. What are some of the Bugs in the Portfolio?
A. The number one bug, one that causes frustrated new owners to bring
the machine back to the dealer more than any other: if you try to
load a zero length file into one of the built-in applications, the
Port will lock up. This is especially easy to cause when first
playing with the applications; if you save a file with nothing in it,
next time you load that application, you're dead. Just reboot the
machine, delete the zero length file, and you should be ready to go.
Then there's the "ShotGun" bug. When you power up the Portfolio, it
will write a random byte to a certain memory location. If an
application is loaded, this can mangle the data file. One way around
is to exit any applications before the machine powers down, or enter
the following lines in the CONFIG.SYS file:
FILES=20
BUFFERS=32
The randomized memory location will then always be inside the file
buffer area, and will not affect the data files.
Also, the Portfolio will lock up if you try to load a file into the
editor that ends with a <SPACE><RETURN>. The UPDATE program fixes
this bug.
Q. How do I reboot the Portfolio?
A. When the Portfolio locks up, there are three ways to reboot the
machine. First try the "three finger salute", <CTRL><ALT><DEL>. If
this has no effect, turn the machine upside down, and above the Atari
label, there is a hole. Use a paper clip to depress the switch in
the hole. If the Portfolio still refuses to reboot, you will have to
cold boot the machine. Remove the battery cover. Use a paper clip
to depress the small metal tab. The cold reboot will take your
Portfolio back to when you first got it. You will even have to tell
it what language you want to use. Everything on drive C: will be
lost.
Q. Can the ROM be upgraded?
A. No.
Q. Can I run MS/DOS 3.0 or later on the Portfolio?
A. No. The unit is MS/DOS 2.11 compatible in ROM. Due to the hardware
differences and memory limitations, other versions of DOS will not
run on it.
Q. How can I get a list of filenames when I want to load a files into an
application?
A. When a built-in application asks for a filename to load, type
*<return> to display a list of files for that application.
Q. How can I find the developers names in the Portfolio?
A. To see the names of the people who developed the Atari Portfolio,
follow these steps: From the editor, press <FN><F2> to get the help
menu. Press <K> to select Keyboard Help. Finally press <ALT><[> to
find out who created your machine.
Q. How can I make my programs smaller?
A. Disk space is a prime concern on the Portfolio. To make programs
smaller, there are two utilities, LZEXE and PKLITE, which will
compress programs to about 2/3's their original size.
Q. Is a Technical Manual Available for the Portfolio?
A. If you're an amateur or professional developer and want to develop
programs that take advantage of the inner workings of the machine, a
Technical Reference manual is available from Atari for $60. Call
Gail Bacani at (408)-745-2022 for more details. The manual includes
emulation software for the PC.
Q. How do I run a PBASIC program?
A. PBASIC does not have an internal editor like GWBASIC. Create the
BASIC program with the Portfolio's internal editor. You can then run
the program with the command:
PBASIC filename
Q. What is ALTR.COM?
A. ALTR is a TSR program for the Portfolio that will Automatically save
the current file in the editor, exit the editor, and run PBASIC.
PBASIC.EXE must be renamed to P.EXE to be used with this utility.
Q. Can I use PBASIC on the PC?
A. Yes, but you can not use any of the "Portfolio Only" features. The
PBASIC Editor, a program to allow users on a PC to write PBASIC
programs, has been upgraded to version 2.0. The major improvement is
that the editor now provides emulation for those nifty "Portfolio
Only" features. So you can now view PGC graphics, as well as Boxes,
Sounds, and Menus on the PC. This should help speed up Portfolio
software development. The PBASIC editor is available on Compuserve
in the APORTFOLIO forum as PBE.ZIP.
Q. What are .PGC, .PGF, and .PGX files?
A. Don Messerli, of the Software Vineyard, has developed the .PGC
(Portfolio Graphics Compressed) standard. This standard, along with
his excellent program, PGSHOW, allows for 9 frames per second of
animation. It is very impressive. PBASIC also supports the .PGC
standard, and allows up to about 4 frames per second. There was an
earlier version called .PGF, where the files were always 1920 bytes
in size. .PGC files are compressed to take up less space. .PGX
files are part of an Animation Package for the Portfolio. Depending
on the complexity of the image, the package is able to display
anywhere from 16 to 20 images per second on the Portfolio's LCD
screen. To see the results of his labor, download PGFLIX, the
animation package, and either DOMINOS.ZIP or HORSE.ZIP, the mini-
movies.
Q. What is a .HOO file?
A. A .HOO file is a program designed to run from inside the Portfolio's
internal editor. Press <F6> inside the editor to get a list of .HOO
files.
Q. What is a .RUN file?
A. This is a program that can be run from the memory card, leaving all
the memory free for your data. The programs are of a special format,
and have been specially written for the Portfolio. You can't always
copy these files, since they have to be stored in consecutive sectors
on the memory card. To copy a .RUN card, the quickest way is to
reformat the target card, and then copy the .RUN file first. This
will assure that it's stored on the card correctly. To execute a
.RUN program, use the command:
RUN [filename] usage
Q. Can I attach a Hard Disk to the Portfolio?
A. There is finally a hard disk unit available for the Portfolio. The
BSE Company, 14701 Candeda Place, Tustin, CA 92680, (714)-832-4316,
have developed the Flashdrive hard disk unit. The unit interfaces to
the Portfolio via the Parallel Interface. The 20mb version sells for
$499.
Q. When using the Flashdrive, the MD command lock up the computer. Why?
A. On some models of the Portfolio, there is a problem with the MKDIR
(MD) command. The designers of the Portfolio never anticipated a
hard drive connected to the unit. The MD command can not handle
drives larger that 2mb. BSE had to create their on version of the MD
command, called ATMD, to bypass this problem. It is included with
the Portfolio driver.
Q. Did Xoterix release their hard disk unit for the Portfolio?
A. For those people holding their breath for the hard drive/memory
expansion unit for Xoterix, bad news. According to the president of
the company, the unit has been postponed indefinitely. They did not
receive enough interest for them to put the unit into production.
Q. Where can I get programs for the Portfolio?
A. ATARI BBS: 408-745-2191; FIDO BBS: 301-997-7204; Any PORT in a STORM
BBS: 919-598-5320; CompuServe; GEnie; Internet/Bitnet:
ATARI.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU
Q. Can I increase the internal memory size of the Portfolio?
A. Yes. There are two approaches. A device available outside the US
called Memory Expander+ will increase the Port's internal memory to
384k, and add a second RAMcard slot. It plugs in like the Parallel
Port. Megabyte Computers in Texas will now upgrade the Portfolio to
512k of memory internally. The $299 modification includes a six
month warranty for the work. For more information call, (817)
589-2950.
Q. Can I modify the Portfolio myself to 512k?
A. Probably not. The Portfolio use surface mount technology for it
chips, and the 512k chips require jumpers to be installed.
Q. What is the APB?
A. Atari has released the APB (Accessories, Peripherals Bulletin) for
the Portfolio. This twenty page manual includes hints and tips, as
well as listing third party vendor's hardware and software for the
Portfolio. For a copy, see your dealer, or write to Atari, 1196
Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302. The cover price is $1.00.
Q. What is DIP?
A. The Portfolio was developed by DIP systems in England. They have
much more software and hardware devices available than in the United
States. Contact them for more information. DIP, 32 Frederick Sanger
Road, Surrey Research Park, Guildford, United Kingdom, GU2 5XN.
(0483) 301555.
Q. Can I put the Portfolio Through an X-RAY machine?
A. Yes. I have always run the Port through the x-ray machine. But be
warned: most security people will want to look at it anyway, since
they won't recognize it. When you show it to them, they will ask you
to turn it on, so it's best not to have anything embarrassing on the
screen. Many of them will be very interested in the machine and will
probably want to know more about it.
Q. What do I do when the Portfolio dies?
A. Atari has a trade in program for dead Portfolio. They'll exchange an
old Port for a New Port for $110. Overnight shipping is available at
extra cost. Contact Atari before sending the unit.
Q. Can I get a replacement Battery/Bus cover? I lost mine.
A. Extra covers can be ordered from Atari for 5 dollars.
Q. Will there ever be a Portfolio II?
A. Who knows? Atari has always played close to the chest on future
developments. If you want to see an improved version of the
Portfolio, you should write to Atari and let them know you want one.
-BJ Gleason
BIO: BJ Gleason is an instructor of Computer Science at The American
University in Washington D.C. and he's been programming for over a
decade now. He's the author of over two dozen utilities and games,
including PBASIC 4.9, the 'freeware' BASIC interpreter designed
specifically for the Portfolio. His Email address is
BJGLEAS@auvm.american.edu and his Compuserve ID is 73500,2517. There
are even more questions and answers in the PORT.FAQ file on Compuserve.
| | | GENIE ATARI ROUNDTABLE WEEKLY NEWS
| | | By John Hartman
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
= DARLAH'S TREAT OF THE MONTH =
This month's "Darlah's Treat of the Month" on page 475, Option #9 is
Diamond Edge EDGEDEMO. Type m475;9 to receive this months "Treat". This
archive contains a demo version of Oregon Research's new program Diamond
Edge. The most advanced set of disk management tools available for your
Atari ST: Disk and data recovery, Complete Undelete, file validation and
disk diagnostics, Data protection, Disk optimization, Bad sector
mapping, hard disk partitioning, Disk information archival editing and
restoration, and much more. Diamond Edge will be released on September
12 at the Glendale show. Brought to you by Oregon Research Associates.
File: EDGEDEMO.LZH is 110848 bytes. Remember.......this file is FREE.
= REALTIME CONFERENCE =
= Scheduled Wednesday RTC Guests =
Have an idea for an Realtime Conference? Wish to promote a product, show
or service? Atari Roundtable Realtime Conference provides an excellent
platform for announcements and discussions. Contact RTC$, Jeff Williams
[JEFF.W] for requirements and information on holding formal RTCs. Jeff
also captures and edits the formal conferences and uploads them into the
Atari RT's Library.
= Monday Realtime Conference =
Stop in for Monday's Desktop Publishing Realtime Conferences. Hosted by
Lou Rocha with regular guests dealing with all aspects of DTP and
associated topics. All conferences begin at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time
Monday DTP conferences - Hosted by Lou Rocha [L.ROCHA1] and Nathan
Potechin [ISD]
= Atari ST Help Desk =
Atari ST Roundtable holds a Sunday Help Desk to answer your questions on
GEnie, Atari ST Roundtable and the line of Atari computers. Stop in and
ask questions or just visit the Atari RT staff and users. The Help Desk
starts at 7:00 pm EST Sunday on page 475;2.
For Realtime Conference inquires and comments contact: RTC$
= LIBRARY =
Last Month's Top Downloaded Programs/Utilities:
-------------------------------------------------
25109 BILDSPAR.ACC X J.TREVETHAN 920801 2176 254 2
25389 PAULA20.LZH X OUTRIDER 920822 61056 225 29
25522 STZIP200.LZH X M.FARMER2 920831 148992 209 2
25390 MPLAY_13.LZH X A.DOLORICO 920822 27776 217 29
25388 ZOO214.LZH X W.PIKE 920822 81408 200 40
25394 SPC-3375.LZH X J.PIERCE5 920822 13696 199 2
25181 EVAL.LZH X E.KRIMEN 920806 13440 197 2
25231 BLITZ_HE.ARC X E.MONACO 920809 37760 187 2
25185 LOCKCPX.LZH X E.KRIMEN 920806 7680 184 2
25160 FORMAT71.LZH X M.FARMER2 920804 7424 183 2
-------------------------------------------------
Last Month's New Demos:
---------------------------------------------------
25376 GIGADEMO.ASC X D.PETERS18 920820 1280 19 10
25374 SHADOW.LZH X S.KIPKER 920820 303232 41 10
25284 F_DEMO.LZH X C.THORPE5 920815 447744 70 10
25259 DEMOCM20.ARC X C.HOWER 920813 29440 66 10
25163 TCB_ACID.LZH X SM 920804 276992 36 10
25137 STY_DEMO.LZH X C.BUCHANAN3 920802 222208 43 10
25094 ACC_NEW.LZH X S.KIPKER 920731 32128 204 10
---------------------------------------------------
= REALTIME CONFERENCE =
Sept. 21 - The CodeHeads discuss their popular new word processor,
Calligrapher: The Ultimate Writing Machine, combining DTP features with
a powerful, easy to learn word processing interface.
Sept. 28 - A forum on CodeHead Graphic Tools, including MegaPaint, Avant
Vector, Genus, Cherry Fonts & other utilities. Also featuring Warp 9's
extensible screensaver - Extend-O-Save. Bring your wish list for
modules.
All Real Time Conferences begin at 10:00 p.m EDT
Last 2 Week's New Demos:
---------------------------------------------------
25681 CF4DEMO.LZH X GRIBNIF 920911 48512 76 10
25577 HPIMG552.LZH X D.C.GOUTHRO 920904 39680 58 10
25534 CBD_DEMO.LZH X FAIR-DINKUM 920901 126208 106 10
---------------------------------------------------
| | | HISOFT UPDATE - NEW FEATURES OF DEVPAC 3
| | | Press Release
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
This file contains information on the differences between DevpacST 2.25
and the new Devpac 3 for Atari computers
The Editor
===========
This has been extensively enhanced to include:
* multi-window editing, full mouse control, bookmarks, cut-and-paste,
pop-up option menus, visual shell facilities, faster search and replace,
and different font sizes.
The Assembler
=============
* fully support for all the 68000 to 68040 and 68332 processors, the
68881/2 maths co-processor and the 68851 MMU.
The assembler produces S-records & Lattice linkable code in addition to
standard TOS executable and DRI/GST linkable code. Lattice Linkable
code is also produced by HiSoft BASIC 2.
To complement the production of S-records we supply an S-record splitter
for use with EPROMs that are not the same width as the processorUs bus.
The assembler is approximately 30% faster than its predecessor. The
assembler can now generate and process pre-assembled include files.
This increases the speed of assembly of programs that use the operating
system include files.
LINE and HCLN debug hunks can be generated so that debuggers (including
Mon version 3) can track the source code that corresponds to a given
address and vice versa.
The range of options has been extended and options may now be specified
by name rather than using cryptic letters. Command line support has
been enhanced to allow the setting of labels and otherwise unavailable
options. Options are also read from a default file and this can be
created using the editor.
The assembler now gives an indication of where in a line an error was
detected. The full range of relational operators are now supported.
Options have been added for listings on pass 1 and for tracing
conditional assembly. The use of privileged instructions can now be
controlled using the SUPER and USER options.
Further optimization facilities are provided.
The CARGS and RADIX directives have been added.
\# may now be used as a synonym for NARGS in macros and the macro.w
feature has been added for macros that must generate code on even
boundaries. \? may be used to find the length of a macro parameter.
Default module names are more descriptive.
The Debugger
============
The front panel window display of Mon can now be organised as you wish.
Windows can be split horizontally, vertically and also stacked in order
to extend the number of available work areas. Each stacked window may
be locked to an arbitrary expression allowing interactive monitoring of
complex data structures.
Any number of source files may be loaded into each window along with any
associated line number debugging information such as that output by Gen.
Multi-module programs can thus be single stepped line by line from your
original source file. Two powerful new operators are provided which
convert a program address into a source line number and locate any part
of the program from its position in the source.
This line number debugging information is also produced by Lattice C
(version 5.0x and up), HiSoft BASIC 2 and HighSpeed Pascal (version 1.6
and up). This makes Mon an ideal medium level debugger for these
languages.
Mon understands the new video modes, 68030 and 68881 registers and
instructions and the TT memory map. It also includes commands to read
and write individual hardware ports via the Query Port and Transfer to
Port commands, compare memory and dynamic symbol table loading. The
full range of relational operators are now supported.
Integration
===========
The integration of the package has been further enhanced so that the
Next Error (Alt-J) command now works in multiple files and the assembler
and debugger will read include files from memory without the need to
save these to disk. The full range of assembly and debugger options is
now available via the editor option dialogs.
New tools
=========
Devpac 3 also includes CLink, the Lattice C format linker, our reset-
proof ramdisk, a GST format librarian, more include files for accessing
the operating system and a utilities for splitting S-record files,
SRSplit and removing debug information from files, Strip. Also supplied
is a GEM based installation program to make stepping up Devpac 3 a snap.
Devpac 3 is supplied on one Double-Sided 3.5" Double density disk and
comes with an expanded 340 manual including an 18 page index.
Devpac 3 runs on all Atari based 680x0 computers with at least one
double-sided floppy disk drive.
Upgrades from DevpacST2 and Devpac TT cost:
39.95 UKP inside the U.K.
42.00 UKP in the rest of Europe
45.00 UKP outside Europe.
Upgrades from Devpac 1 are available for 10 pounds more than the above
prices. These offers do not include magazine cover disks.
These prices include shipping by airmail where applicable. Please
return your original Devpac master disk when upgrading.
14 September 92
HiSoft
The Old School
Greenfield BEDFORD MK45 5DE U.K.
| | | ATARINET
| | | By Bill Scull
| | | ----------------------------------------------------------------
AtariNet - You have been hearing about it, noticed a few messages
referencing it, and wonder what it is??
It's a new network for any BBS that supports the Atari home computer.
It's primary intent is to bring all BBS's that support Atari users
together.
It is easily available NOW with the FidoDoor or FiFo program for the
FoReM or Turbo BBS program. After you have installed the door or
utility, you will be ready to access this growing and sure to be,
popular Atari network.
There are currently several nodes already participating, and more are
welcome to join. The following is a listing of some of the AtariNet
Echoes already established and a few on the drawing board.
AtariNet SysOps
AtariNet echoes discussion
Atari products for sale/wanted
Atari supported BBSes
BinkleyTerm ST support
Atari DeskTop Publishing
FIDOdoor Support
FidoNet ST discussion
Atari general discussion
Atari graphics
IOSmail Support
Atari programming
Atari sound/music
Atari tech talk
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
If you'd like further information or would like to join please contact
one of the following people.
US - South East Bill Scull Fido 1:363/112 AtariNet 51:1/0
US - North East Dean Lodzinski Fido 1:107/633 AtariNet 51:4/0
US - Midwest Terry May Fido 1:209/745 AtariNet 51:2/0
US - West Tony Castorino Fido 1:102/1102 AtariNet 51:3/0
Canada Don Liscombe AtariNet 51:5/0
Europe Daron Brewood Fido 2:255/402 AtariNet 51:6/0
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon
connection type HHH and hit <return>. Wait for the U#= prompt and type
XTX99436,GEnie and hit <return>.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask
for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership
kit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you'd like further information or would like to join AtariNet, please
contact one of the following via AtariNet or Fido: Bill Scull Fido
1:363/112 AtariNet 51:1/0, Dean Lodzinski Fido 1:107/633 AtariNet 51:4/0
Terry May Fido 1:209/745 AtariNet 51:2/0, Tony Castorino Fido 1:102/1102
AtariNet 51:3/0, Don Liscombe AtariNet 51:5/0, Daron Brewood Fido
2:255/402 AtariNet 51:6/0. You can also call the Z*Net News Service at
(908) 968-8148 for more information.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You can subscribe to the bi-monthly hard copy Atari Explorer Magazine
for $14.95 for 6 issues, $39.95 for 18 issues. Canadian subscribers
should add $5.00 per 6 issues,foreign subscribers should add $10.00 per
6 issues. Checks must be drawn in US funds on a US bank. Send orders
to Atari Explorer, Post Office Box 6488, Duluth, MN 55806. VISA and
MasterCard orders, call (218) 723-9202.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Reprints from the GEnie ST Roundtable are Copyright (c)1992, Atari
Corporation and the GEnie ST RT. Reprints from CompuServe's AtariArts,
AtariPro, AtariVen, or Aportfolio Forums are Copyright (c)1992, CIS.
Reprints from AtariUser Magazine are Copyright(c)1992, Quill Publishing
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the
Atari computer community. Material published in this edition may NOT
be reprinted without written permission, unless otherwise noted in the
article. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff. Atari
Explorer Online Magazine is Copyright (c)1992, Atari Corporation. The
Z*Net Newswire is an independent column and organization not affiliated
with Atari Corp. and is Copyright (c)1992,Z*Net News Service/Ron Kovacs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z*Net News Service - Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey 08846-
0059. BBS - (908) 968-8148. Voice - (908) 968-2024. Fnet Node 593,
AtariNet Node 51:1/13.0. You can contact Atari direct via Fnet Nodes -
706 or 319 or via AtariNet 51:1/10.0. Z*Net South Pacific - Fnet - 693.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atari is a registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari Falcon030,
TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk and BLiTTER, are trademarks of Atari Corporation.
All other trademarks mentioned in this publication belong to their
respective owners.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
"The Official Atari Online Journal"
Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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