ST Report: 30-Apr-93 #918
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 05/01/93-02:02:12 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 30-Apr-93 #918
Date: Sat May 1 14:02:12 1993
*---== STReport International Online Magazine ==---*
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
from
STR Publishing
""""""""""""""
April 30, 1993 No.9.18
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STReport International Online Magazine
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_____________________________________________________________________
> 04/30/93 STR 918 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
""""""""""""""""
- The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS
- VGA Pinouts - PowerPC Intro'ed - Apple Revenues UP!
- Intel sues AMD - CTFEST'93 - Compatible Formats
- Blue Ridge Fest'93 - ACER in WALMART! - STR Confidential
-* IAAD REPORTS ON PIRATES! *-
-* ATARI EXPLORER CONFUSION CLEARED? *-
-* "FALCONWAIT" The USERBASE WAITS & WAITS! *-
===========================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
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in the Fido/NEST/Atari F-Net Mail Network. You may also phone The Bounty
BBS direct @ 904-786-4176, and enjoy the wonder & excitement of exchanging
information relative to computers, worldwide, through the use of excellent
International Networking Systems. SysOps, worldwide, are quite welcome to
join the STReport International Conferences. The Crossnet Code is #34813,
and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All BBS systems are welcome and invited to
participate. Support your favorite computer! Teleconference Today!
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COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
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WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (April 30)
SPEED OF LIGHT GIF VIEWER!
Download file SPOFLT.LZH from LIBRARY 14 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO
ATARIARTS) for a new Speed-of-Light .GIF file viewer. Shows all colors,
squash the picture to fit the screen or just scroll it, adjust flicker,
color quality/levels, etc.
NEW PRINTER DRIVER FOR DESKJET
Download PrintAll Version 1.1 (file PRTALL.LZH in LIBRARY 9 of the Atari
Productivity Forum -- GO ATARIPRO). A Printer driver program for the HP
Deskjet 500 and 500C. Prints multiple file formats in color or
black-and-white in multiple sizes and orientations. Latest version adds
Prism Paint PNT support, Tiny low and medium-res .TNY and Sun Microsystems'
"Rasterfile" .RAS support. Also numerous bug-fixes and speedups, ability to
cancel without quitting and cancel long operations. This version supercedes
PrintAll 1.0.
New "CMYK" output options simulates Deskjet 550C output on 500C printers!
SHAREWARE FROM DOUBLE CLICK IN ATARIVEN
Double Click Software has decided to release DC Xtract Plus as SHAREWARE!
Included in the LZH file are DC Xtract Plus 2.v and a doc file. Download
file XTRPLS.LZH from LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).
Double Click Software has also decided to release DC SEA as SHAREWARE! Make
ARC/LZH/ZIP/ZOO into a self-extracting file. Download file DCSEA.LZH from
LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN).
MANY NEW FILES IN ATARIPRO!
Lots of new files in the Libraries of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO
ATARIPRO). Type BRO LIB:ALL to check out the most recently entries!!
REVISED PRINTER DRIVERS FROM SOFTLOGIK
SoftLogik has made the following two files available for download from
LIBRARY 11 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN):
PS2299.ARC - PostScript printer driver for ImageSetters and Color PostScript
printers version 2.2.99. This is a temporary driver that fixes problems
with v2.2.11 printing to Linos and Color PS printers.
PS2211.ARC - Newest PostScript printer driver version 2.2.11. This driver is
good for users printing to PostScript lasers. For users needing to print to
Color PS and high-rez imagesetters, you should use the v2.2.99 driver.
THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE
HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN
OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION
"GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM"
"ENJOY CIS' ATARI FORUMS WHERE CENSORSHIP IS A DIRTY WORD!"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
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Its the last week in April... still no Falcons for retail sales
anywhere. So what else is new? All we can substantiate is less than ten
accredited, full blown, ADA "signed sealed and sworn-in" Atari dealers
nation-wide have received their "DEMO" falcons. One dealer, who must, for
obvious reasons remain anonymous, called and mentioned; "There is an ID
number on the label under the machine but it does not say its class B
certified. It does say the falcon is class B certified in the manual
though, he added". However, due to the continued grievous lateness of the
arrival of falcons for retail sale, there is plenty of double talk,
sidetracking of topics and sidestepping going on in the userbase. Maybe...
it was just me but I could've sworn I was told the HAD 150 falcons on hand
that were destined to be dealer demos and while they touting that fact, they
jumped up hollering a "new" shipment had just hit the docks, was passing
through customs and would be going through their QC checks to shipping by
mid-May. Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to deduce that they should
have well over 150 falcons available. They don't and they don't expect
another shipment to arrive until late May! This magical number of 150
falcons is apparently getting worn out by the masters of disinformation and
doublespeak. There are STILL no Falcons available for retail sale. Only
"dealer Demos". This business of "Demos Only - Not For Sale" is going to
get old in a hurry.
As the frustration levels increase even further, the users are getting
quite testy relative to most anything mentioned that's not to their liking.
What's sad about the whole affair is to find those in the userbase "playing
up to" this situation and taking unfair advantage of the emotional state of
the userbase. Be advised, those who are engaged in this nefarious practice
will pay a terrible price to the users once all the smoke has cleared and
believe me, clear it will.
On to a brighter moment, it was rather surprising to find that STReport
and STReport's popular online conference were used as an information source
in the composition of a piracy report compiled and released by the IAAD.
The report itself was very well written, highly informative and the topics
covered in the report were indeed enlightening. As with any report of this
nature, there are bound to be those individuals whose "handles" and BBS
names are drawn into the picture who feel they don't belong there. Believe
me if such is the case there is no reason to make a stink over it. After
all, you know you did nothing wrong and have nothing to hide. Make loud
noises and you'll sure live up to the old Shakespearean expression about
"protesting too much". Again the report was very well written and gave
every indication that great care was taken in its preparation. Read it and
learn from it.
To all our readers, thank you very much for your continued strong
support in the face of the onslaught of the "beast of disinformation". You
have no idea how much I appreciate your supportive Email, and great
suggestions. To those who have been sending in the verifiable faxes you
have been a great help! If we all stick together, maybe just maybe we can
turn the beast around and help it become productive once again.
Thank you for your strong support!
Ralph....
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STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
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Publisher - Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION
----------- -------------- ------------
Roger D. Stevens Robert Glover R. ALBRITTON
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur John Deegan
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor Emeritus
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Michael Lee Richard Covert Scott Birch
Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt
Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Clemens Chin Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
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Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
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STR'S "BELIEVE IT? OR.. WHAT?"
<>###############################<>
"There is no comparison! The Atari Falcon
is far superior to the PC platform."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
About the scathing Forbes Magazine Critique of Atari;
"My new office, which has a better view than my old one, is so far
quite satisfactory. And Richard Miller is in my old office. The
Forbes article was a mish-mash and misconstrued article full of half
truths. We are anxiously awaiting the release of the Atari Falcon to
bring us back to the forefront. The article has given us some
laughs, but otherwise has not affected us."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
About marketing plans and the future....
"As I said before, all marketing announcements will be made at
Duesseldorf. I will not comment on future models of the Falcon.
WE ARE TALKING TODAY ABOUT A MACHINE.....
WHICH WILL BE SHIPPING NEXT WEEK."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
A fantastic observation, considering the date it was made...
"I've just returned from Asia, where I saw the first Atari Falcon
production coming off the lines. Let's hope this new offering will
make it in North America. I know that the specs are great."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
Again, the dates of the statement conflict with the facts now known....
"We have not yet even given the machine to the FCC. And we are only
applying for Class B approval. According to our "experts", it should
pass Class B."
Sam Tramiel, 08/92
"...... We are not working for Wall Street but to
make money for our shareholders and only think long term."
Sam Tramiel, 11/92
psssst.
FYI.... The Shareholder's equity is fine.... NOT!
The Stock is hovering around $0.81
CHRISTMAS '92 has COME and GONE...
AS HAS...
JANUARY 1993, FEBRUARY 1993...
FALCONS ....anyone?
By the Way.... Does the Falcon work well
with
any... of the SLM Laser Printers?? NOPE! NOT YET!
Wanna bet there won't be any?
Better yet...
Which _MAJOR_ US Software Developers & Publishers
are
producing NEW Software for Atari's FALCON???
Besides, who _needs_ a CARTRIDGE PORT anyhow!
For the record... the cart port will be removed on future
revisions of the Falcon. That is, IF there is a future Falcon!
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> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #16
By: John Deegan
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #18
By: John Deegan
MOTOROLA ROLLS OUT NEW CHIP - Motorola Inc. has introduced the first
versions of its new PowerPC chip, the MPC601, which is being touted as a
major challenge to Intel Corp.'s new Pentium processor.
Reports are that Motorola, which is developing the PowerPC with IBM
and Apple Computer Inc., will ship two versions of the 601 with speeds
of 50MHz and 66MHz.
Sources say the slower chip will sell for $280 each when sold in lots
of 20,000, while the faster chip is priced at $374 each.
Intel has not yet disclosed the price for its Pentium, which it began
shipping last month, but analysts have projected that the microprocessor
will carry a price tag of about $1,000 each. Both chips are roughly equ-
ivalent in terms of performance and are twice as fast as Intel's top-end
486i chip.
Motorola says the 601 chip has 2.8 million transistors, or about 10%
fewer than the Pentium, in a space of about 11 millimeters by 11
millimeters per side. It said high-volume production will begin in the
third quarter.
ACER SIGNS WALMART DEAL - Acer America Corp. has signed an agreement
under which the 1,400 WalMart Stores across the country will carry Acer
ACROS PC desktops. Acer said WalMart began searching last year for a new
PC line to complement its 1993 PC desktop offerings from IBM and Packard
Bell.
WalMart will carry the ACROS 486SX/25 Models 4125 and 4130 and the
ACROS 486DX/33 Model 4335.
APPLE SEES EARNINGS, REVENUES GROWTH - Apple Computer Inc. Chief Fin-
ancial Officer Joseph Graziano believes the company should post earnings
and revenue growth in the second half of the year due to strong demand.
According to Graziano, revenue will accelerate from the 15% growth
recorded in the 1993 fiscal second quarter ended in March. Earnings will
also increase, he said, but did not give a specific estimate.
Graziano also said sales will be helped by the introduction of a
range of new products.
ROHM, RAMTRON TO DEVELOP FRAMS - Rohm Co Ltd. and Ramtron Interna-
tional Corp. have announced they will jointly manufacture and develop
ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) chips.
Reports are that under the agreement, Rohm will supply complementary
metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) wafers to Ramtron. Rohm will also build
a production line to produce Ramtron-designed FRAMs.
A Rohm spokesman said that FRAMs have the potential to replace all
existing memory chips in the future.
MICROSOFT SETTLES PIRACY LAWSUITS - Microsoft Corp. has reached a
settlement in its software piracy lawsuit against former Microsoft OEM
licensee Z-Nix Co. Inc. Microsoft has also settled lawsuits with Z-Nix
President Jimmy Chen and three Z-Nix distributors.
The lawsuits were originally filed by Microsoft in June 1992 against
Z-Nix for copyright and trademark infringement and breach of contract.
It followed a two-month investigation, during which Microsoft alleged
that it uncovered Z-Nix's massive illegal distribution of the Microsoft
Windows operating system version 3.1.
INTEL KEEPS HEAT ON AMD - Keeping the heat on its competitor, chip-
maker Intel Corp. has filed a new suit against Advanced Micro Devices
Inc. claiming AMD had infringed on Intel's copyright for the '486
microprocessor.
The semiconductor giant also is asking U.S. District Judge William
Ingram to reconsider his April 15 decision throwing out a jury verdict
against AMD in a related Intel lawsuit. That ruling allowed AMD to begin
shipping its clone of Intel's '486 microprocessor last week.
___________________________________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
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PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hello again folks. Well, it looks like spring is finally here. All the
signs are there: The grass is turning green, the sky is blue and clear,
the air is warm, and there are all kinds of birds to be seen. Heck, there
have even been a few Falcons sighted (c'mon now, you knew that was coming,
didn't you?). Let's just hope that the Falcon doesn't become an
endangered species. Well, enough of that. Let's get on with the news
from the Atari Forums on CompuServe.
>From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Aidan Heritage asks:
"Is there any way of getting an index of all the software available in this
for that I can read off line? It would make finding the file I want so much
easier."
Sysop Keith Joins tells Aidan:
"We don't have a current catalog of files in our library. You can however
check for a file across all the libraries at one time by adding the
parameter LIB:ALL to whatever search command you are using. Also the Atari
File Finder (GO ATARIFF) can search across all the Atari Forums at one time.
If there is a particular file you are looking for let me know and I can help
you find it."
Aidan replies to Keith:
"Than you for the reply. The thing is, I don't know what I am looking for
till I see it! I found the list of the files in the Portfolio area very
useful as I could then see what I wanted to get - and I could set my
software up to get it for me on a subsequent visit."
Keith tells Aidan:
"Ah, I see. I used to do catalog files of the forums but there never seemed
to be too much interest in them and even doing them by library number with
each library in its own file created rather large files."
Well, as the pool of ST users gets smaller and smaller, we all start
looking into, if not buying another computer, at least what we might have
to do to transfer information from the trusty ST to another type of
machine. Wayne McGuire asks:
"Is there a program available which will convert disks which were formatted
in Twister to MS-DOS? I've got about 300 ST disks formatted in Twister that
I'd like to read on my PC.
Is there a more appropriate forum or forum section in which to ask this
question?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Wayne:
"This is the place for your question, all right... I just don't know if
there's a good answer for it or not...
There are two separate problems involved.. the first is the "normal"
ST-->DOS problem of the missing bytes in the boot sector that DOS needs to
see to recognize the disk.
There ARE ways around that... I believe there is at least one PC program
which is supposed to write the missing three bytes onto the disk so it can
be read. You can also use a "sector editor" on the PC to do that manually.
The second problem is the non-standard format used by Twister.
DOS users are just beginning to play around with alternative floppy formats,
including more sectors and tracks, so there might be some hope of getting
DOS to read the Twister disks.
As I recall, Twister used 10 sectors and 81 tracks to increase the storage
on a floppy. I don't think the track skewing that it also used would be a
problem. I didn't pay enough attention to the discussion in the PC
newsgroups about the subject to remember what exactly the solution was, but
I believe it required using a custom device driver for MS-DOS to read the
extended format.
You *might* be able to find out more about that by asking in the IBM
HARDWARE Forum here on CompuServe.
(I'm assuming you don't still have an ST... the simplest answer, although
with 300 disks not the easiest one, would be to just recopy the disks onto
MS-DOS formatted disks.)
If I get a chance, I might experiment a little with this myself. I still
have a lot of disks formatted in ST format, and a lot of them are "Twisted",
so I still run into the problem occasionally myself... although I usually
end up just copying the disks on my ST."
Wayne explains to Bob:
"Thanks for the reply. I gave my ST away, and I would prefer to avoid the
hassle of copying the Twister formatted disks to DOS formatted disks. If you
or anyone else here discovers a small program which will allow MS-DOS
machines to read Twister formatted disks, please let me know.
Now, of course, I wish I hadn't been so greedy for the extra bytes. There do
exist one or two programs for PC's which will read disks formatted in
standard ST mode."
Jim Ness jumps in and tells Wayne:
"The Dave Small Twister program used 80/10 for its format. After converting
with DC Format, in the LIBs here, some PCs will read those disks. Others
won't. It isn't because of the Twister format, so much as because of the 10
sectors.
Twister simply moves the location of the beginning of a track, such that
after the head moves from the previous track, it "just happens" to be in a
good location to start reading the new track - without having to wait until
the new track spins around a bit. DOS doesn't care about this, it's just
looking for the new track."
Sysop Jeff Kovach adds:
"I believe a PC program called MAXI will let you read extended format disks,
perhaps he should try looking for that one. It is PD or shareware."
In keeping with the MS-DOS theme, Paul Seniura asks:
"I've posted this question on the IBM Hardware SIG. Was hoping maybe
someone here knows: How to hook up a Monochrome-VGA monitor to a ST?
My Multisync monitor went out, needs to be fixed. I've heard a mono-VGA can
be used in ST hi-rez mode also. But I can't find info on the pin-outs for
the mono-VGA's DB-9 socket to finish wiring it to the ST.
Mono-VGA's vertical sync at 72-Hz should match the ST hi-rez mode just fine.
I need to finish my homework before the library books are due. So while
waiting for the multisync to get fixed, I gotta try doing this. (Yeah my
multisync could do *everything* .. sure do miss it."
Mike Fulton replies:
"Well, the monochrome-out pin of the Atari's monitor connector (pin 11)
should go to all three of the red, green, and, blue inputs on the VGA
monitor (I know you said it was monochrome, but it sounds like a greyscale
VGA, so it should have all three color signals on the connector).
Ground on the Atari (pin 13) goes to ground on the VGA.
H-Sync on the Atari (pin 9) should go to H-Sync on the VGA.
V-Sync on the Atari (pin 12) should go to V-Sync on the VGA.
Monochrome Detect on the Atari (pin 4) should be grounded back to ground on
the Atari (pin 13). This is how the ST detects the difference between a
monochrome and color monitor.
Some monitors may want to have some low-value resistors in between the
Atari's output and the red/green/blue inputs on the monitor.
Sorry I don't know the VGA connector pin numbers, but you should be able to
track that down somewhere.
Try this at your own risk. I will accept no responsibility for any damage
or any injury to people or equipment. This is how I have hooked up my own
machine and monitor in the past, I cannot make any guarantee it will work
for your setup."
Paul tells Mike:
"The multisync color was working in all 3 ST
modes but it went out. So now I have a monochrome amber VGA as a backup but
don't know the pinouts for it. A dude on the IBMHW SIG here responded with
the pinouts which might work but it doesn't explain what to do for a single
signal source. Well I can explain it better by typing the IBMHW dude's
response:
Pins 1 and 2 are Ground
Pins 3,4,5 are NC
Pin 6 is +Intensity
Pin 7 is +Video
Pin 8 is +H Sync
Pin 9 is -V Sync
I asked him wasn't that a little weird, +HSync with -VSync (I'll see if he
answers tomorrow). Plus I asked him what to do with +Intensity & +Video,
isn't that really the same signal with regard to a single video source
signal. I know what monochrome VGAs are, they have a grey-scale Intensity
line, kinda like the CGA monitors: two levels of 8 colors, e.g. CGA has a
'yellow' (bright) and a 'brown' (low) using that Intensity line.
Oh what the heck, the guy repairing my multisync sez we can't do any harm by
experimenting, nothing more than +5 volts, no problem shorting something by
accident, etc. I'm an old-time CoCo hacker, so if I can make this work,
I'll sure post the info for y'all. If that +HSync is true, all I'll need is
an Inverting Gate IC to flip the Atari's -HSync (we had to do both H & V
syncs on the CoCo3 to make it viewable on the multisync -- yeah, I was using
this same multisync on *everything* here!). Hey if this works, there's a
glut of monochrome VGAs out there for even $30, and what I saw before I
bought the amber one, it is *sharp*! Paper-white ones can be found for oh
maybe $70-$80, brand-new ones for $100. They're suppose to be much more
"linear" than when I saw an Atari SM124, i.e. good for DTP (I'm using CS-Tex
4.0 for my homework!)."
Hal Dougherty tells Mike:
"THANKS for the pinout! I've just got a color monitor for my clone and now
I
have a spare VGA monochrome monitor to use on an ST. It's a step up for the
monitor!"
Phil Jensen asks about his new Mega ST:
"Folks with Mega ST's: do any of you notice a change in fan speed/sound
when the floppy drive is being accessed. I do. Should I worry about this?
(I've only had the Mega for a month or so, as a replacement for a dead 1040
with 2.5M.)"
Bob Retelle, Sysop, tells Phil:
"I don't have any experience with a Mega ST, but it sounds from your
description that the computer probably uses a 12 volt fan, instead of one
connected directly to 115 volts.
The floppy drive uses 12 volts to run its motor, as does the hard drive.
The hard drive though is always running while the computer and fan are on,
so it doesn't affect anything. The floppy drive motor only runs while the
drive is being accessed, and it probably tends to pull the 12 volt supply
down enough to slow the fan noticeably when the motor starts.
This could be normal and perfectly harmless, or it could be an indication of
a weak power supply.
I think I'd only worry about it if no one else has a similar experience."
Our own Ralph Mariano, Editor-in-Chief of STReport, tells Phil:
"Its not a serious thing.... I noticed it also on both of my MSTEs and the
TT030. Also, I noticed the very same thing on the Mega 4s that are still
here. To stop the problem, you might consider the "beefed up" Power Supply
Best Electronics sells."
Phil replies to Ralph:
"Thanks, Ralph (and Bob too) for your advice. I'll note the beefed-up power
supply idea for the future.
Actually, after the machine has been on for a long time, the phenomenon
seems to go away. "curiouser and curiouser..."
Greg Wageman jumps in and asks Ralph:
"Do any of your TT's "squeal"? My TT emits a very high-pitched squeal the
entire time it is on. I suspect it is something in the (switching) power
supply, since it start before the hard drive has even spun up, and stops the
instant the power switch is shut off (before the hard drive has spun down).
I'm sure it isn't indicative of a problem, but it sure is annoying. :-)"
Ralph replies:
"If it does, I don't hear it. I believe you're right though, it sounds
like its your power supply making the noise."
Greg tells Ralph:
"I can probably fix it with a little "coil dope", it's probably one of the
torroids. By the way this kind of problem is common in switching power
supplies."
Last week there was a bit of discussion of an ST clone. This week, the
discussion continues with Greg Wageman's post:
"...Being in Silicon Valley,
I'm particularly aware of the number of shops around here that sell really,
really cheap PC cards and add-ons. I read the local press and literally
drool over all these cheap add-on boards that I can't use in my Atari
because it lacks an AT/XT buss and a standard SCSI buss.
My TT has a standard SCSI buss, but most of the add-on SCSI hardware other
than disk drives is useless, because Atari failed to provide a generic
application program interface (API) to the TT SCSI buss. All I'd need is a
way to build a Group 0 Command Descriptor Block (CDB) for a SCSI device, and
a set of flags to tell the driver whether to expect a "Data In" phase or
not. Sun Micro has done this. It isn't necessary on PC's, because every
hardware vendor provides software drivers as a matter of course. I'd be
happy to write my own, but alas, Atari hasn't given me the tools.
There's a whole universe of SCSI devices other than disks that Atari users
could benefit from: 24-bit color scanners, CDROM drives, etc.
Heck, even Amiga users have access to AT-bus cards. It's a shame that Atari
didn't see this as an important marketing feature as well."
Pattie Rayl of Atari Interface Magazine and the new CONNECT magazine, posts:
"One of the biggest problems that's been in the Atari market is the fact
that not many systems were produced. If that changes, ie if someone really
can make lots of machines, that really will help all the Atari community."
Master Sysop, Ron Luks tells Pattie:
"You're absolutely right-- lots of machines would help save the Atari
community because it would draw lots of independent developers back to the
platform.
Realistically, I don't think that's going to happen. However, I do think a
profitable niche market can be supported if done properly. My expectation
for the Falcon was never that it would be sold in the millions. Sure, some
people talked about those kinds of numbers, but I never took them seriously.
I do believe that there are more than enough current and ex-Atari owners out
there, having already invested in ST/STe software, to support an improved
machine like the Falcon in numbers of 25,000-100,000 units. A single model
Falcon would target the lower end of this range but a more flexible
Falcon-type machine (what I call an Atari compatible) with industry standard
interfaces (like SCSI2, PCMCIA, etc) that could be configured by the
purchaser with any amount of RAM desired, choice of CPUs, etc., could sell
toward the upper range of that figure.
These numbers would never seriously threaten the PC or MAC marketplace, but
it could support specialty groups like musicians or even home
hackers/enthusiasts. It could be quite profitable even on a limited scale.
This size marketplace may not interest people intent on hitting nothing but
home runs or looking for Nintendo-size numbers, but I have to believe there
are others in the business who would be comfortable with this kind of a
marketplace.
Just my opinion."
Oscar Steele of Purple Mountain Computers tells Ron:
"I think that everyone knows that the ST could have succeeded extremely
successfully with the proper marketing. i.e. the Spectre could've been
touted as making it a Mac clone at a cheap cost. You can count on my
support of such a clone, because if it's properly marketed (and has Falcon
features such as a 486 emulator) then I think it can go a long way. If you
have people lined up and start working on marketing aspects, get in touch."
Ron replies to Oscar:
"I have to agree with you that a large part of the ST's failure was due to a
poor marketing approach. It may not even be reasonable to talk about the ST
as a 'failure' because the machine (and its successor STe) are still
performing quite admirably in a number of areas. In fact, an argument could
easily be made that the ST was a success but the company was a failure
because the computer never had a clear, consistent identity or path after
its initial years in release.
The hardware itself has many satisfied owners (myself included) who are
still using it on a regular basis. I love the ease of use of most of my
ST/STe software and for the majority of my work, its more than adequate.
Whatever few frustrations I have with my system are related to its
proprietary nature.
Although I'm looking back with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I don't think
it would be unreasonable to state that as far back as 1987-88, it was clear
to most people in this industry that the PC and to a lesser extent, the Mac,
were going to be the dominant platforms in the industry. The PC was
especially favored because of its open architecture and the way you could
hook up a variety of peripherals inspite of its non-GUI software. Atari
could have taken a path of making their hardware much more 'standard' (using
SCSI instead of holding on to ACSI, etc.) and today the atari marketplace
would be in much better shape than it is.
By keeping their hardware and software so proprietary, they forced 3rd party
developers to work on Atari's terms or not at all. In my view, it was an
issue of total control over the hardware and software sold in the Atari
marketplace. Atari management wanted to exercise more control over the
marketplace than they were capable of handling with sufficient expertise.
The company went through years of targeting different groups in the computer
marketplace but the targets kept changing too fast and the employee turnover
was too quick to make a successful effort at any of them. In essence, they
spun their wheels using up valuable time, money, and effort without a clear
cut direction.
By the time they hit upon the Falcon, the resources left at the company were
stretched too thin to adequately develop, build, distribute, and market the
unit and that's where we stand now."
>From The Atari ST Arts Forum
============================
On the subject of the Falcon030, Peter Joseph posts:
"There are new rumors over here regarding the early Falcons. Someone
is saying that the base Falcons will be bare-bones units with no DSP
and such."
Stefan Daystrom at Barefoot Software tells Peter:
"From what I can figure it out, that rumor seems to have been started by
someone not understanding model names. What that description might possibly
be of is what has typically been referred to as the Jaguar (at least in the
US), which is a model that's kinda spun off the Falcon030 but is _below_ the
Falcon030. Sounds like someone didn't understand that it was a different
model _below_ the Falcon030, and just heard that it was a low-end model
technically related to the Falcon, and started incorrectly calling it a
"base Falcon" or whatever.
(Reminds of the rumor a few years back that 1040ST's had been discontinued,
which was based on somebody hearing but not understanding that _1040STf's_
had been discontinued because they'd had RF modulators added on and thus had
been replaced with _1040STfm's_!!!! 1040STf's being discontinued was true,
but that was certainly not rephraseable as 1040's being discontinued! "A
_little_ knowledge can be dangerous", as the saying goes...)"
Sysop Brad Hill asks:
"I thought the Jaguar was a hand-held game machine? What am I thinking
of? Do I have my names confused?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Brad:
"The Lynx is the hand-held game machine, the Jaguar is to be a "console"
game machine, ie: like the Super Nintendo.
It's NOT a part of the Atari Computer line, and thus, NOT a model "below"
the Falcon.
It's easy to get non-existent products confused though..."
Brad posts:
"Oh, a console, OK. I _thought_ it was a game machine, and not part of
the computer line."
Sysop Ron Luks tells Brad:
"Lynx is the hand held game machine. Jaguar is a 'tabletop' game machine
currently under development. It is based on a 64-bit RISC processor."
John at Missionware Software brings us back to the subject of an ST clone:
"I gotta wonder how some other company *can* produce Atari compatible
computers. Actually, I should clarify that by saying that it wouldn't be
too difficult to create the hardware, however, TOS is a proprietary product
of atari and unless they license it to this other hardware source, it's
going to be difficult running Atari software on this "clone" without the
proper operating system."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells John:
"If properly done, I think a "TOS-alike" operating system shouldn't be all
that hard to create legally... IBM really scrutinized the "cloned BIOSes"
that appeared on the market, but found that while they worked like the IBM
BIOS, they didn't infringe on their copyrights, and there was little they
could do but live with it.
The REALLY difficult part would be the GEM interface. Unless it could be
licensed from Novell (who seems to have no interest at all in GEM, even
though they own it now), that too would have to be "reverse engineered", and
that would be a far more difficult project.
Possibly the easiest way would be to produce the hardware with empty ROM
sockets, and depend on obtaining legal TOS ROMs from Atari, much like the
Spectre emulator situation. Of course, Atari could squash that by refusing
to sell ROMs. It remains to be seen whether or not they'd do that...
The original ST went from idea to market in something like
six months... including writing the operating system... (which still has to
stand as something of a record.. quite an accomplishment..!)
It's true that "reverse engineering" something might be more difficult, but
it probably wouldn't be all that bad...
Unfortunately, you're right though.. it's the software end of the project
that's likely to be the biggest problem."
John tells Bob:
"Oh Boy...time to try to pull out some history here. If I recall properly,
didn't atari send something like 4 or 5 software gurus to DR to do the port
of GEM? I seem to remember reading that they directly rewrote the code from
Intel to Motorola in that 6 months. Does that sound about right?
I think that the BIOS was already written, or at least pretty much complete.
Wasn't there even some early talk about porting CP/M as the ops system to
the ST?
Hmmmm......"
Ron Luks adds:
"The obvious possibility is that they could license TOS from Atari Corp.
The less obvious and more difficult approach (but certainly not impossible)
would be to reverse engineer TOS. Seems companies like Phoenix and AMI did
that to the IBM Bios with out IBM's blessing and it held up in court.
A third possibility would be to buy something like Gribnif's Neodesk."
Charles F. Johnson, CodeHead el Supremo, tells Ron:
"Neodesk is just a desktop program; it's a program like any other program.
Neodesk _uses_ TOS to do its work, it's not a replacement for TOS. There's
much more to an operating system than just the desktop -- in fact, I'd
estimate that the actual desktop is no more than 10% of the code in TOS.
Reverse engineering TOS is definitely possible, though. Actually, by
modern GUI standards, TOS is very simple (I was going to say "primitive,"
but that has the wrong connotation). It would be much easier to reverse
engineer TOS than Windows or the Mac OS. While it would take some hard
work, it's certainly doable."
Greg Wageman tells Charles:
"I must respectfully disagree.
The more an OS or API (Application Program Interface) is documented, the
easier it is to clone, since the expected behavior is documented in the
spec.
As I'm sure you know very well, the behavior of TOS under various conditions
is not only not-well-documented, it is also subject to change from TOS
version to TOS version.
Therefore, in my opinion, anyone who wished to clone TOS from published
specifications would not have sufficient information available to them to do
the job without actually _verifying the behavior under TOS_, which violates
the "clean room" procedure under which non-infringing clones are developed.
In other words, Atari's TOS documentation is not sufficient to develop a
work-alike from. In many cases, it is not sufficient to _develop_ from,
hence the large number of non-portable, non-compliant programs the user
community has to deal with."
Clive Parker of ST Format, the British ST mag that's also big news on this
side of the Atlantic, tells Charles:
"There is already a replacement operating system on ROM. It is called EOS
(Enhanced Operating System?) and is produced by a German developer. It is
available in the UK for 99 pounds as direct replacement for Atari ROMs. I'll
contact the UK distributors for more info... it is also available on
floppy."
Well folks, I've taken far more room than I had intended to, so I won't
have room for the Atari Vendors forum or the Atari Portfolio Forum. I
apologize, but I thought that you might find the info on the monitors and
especially the ST Clone stuff interesting. I'll have the other forums back
next time right here. So tune in and listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
***********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week in the
ST Advantage on DELPHI. STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and
become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there.
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======================
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DELPHI!
TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (4/28/93)
(1) MSA V. 2.2
(2) LITTLE GREEN SELECTOR
(3) STREPORT 9.17 04/23/93
(4) TOS COMPATIBILITY FIX
(5) DC XTRACT PLUS 2.1
(6) AEO: VOLUME 2 - ISSUE 8
(7) Z*NET 9314
(8) REHBOCK.ARC
(9) DOUBLE CLICK'S DC-SEA
(10) XYZPATCH.ZIP
All of the above files can be found in the RECENT ARRIVALS database for at
least one week after the posting of this list. Please Note that in the case
of online magazines, only the most current issue in the database at the time
of this compilation is considered for the Top 10 list. Also, for all files,
a submission is eligible for the Top 10 list for only four weeks after its
original uploading.
DELPHI- It's getting better all the time!
***********************************************************************
> CT FEST'93 STR SHOW NEWS The Summertime Atari Event!
""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE CT ATARIFEST '93!
=====================
JUNE 12 & 13, AT THE WINDSOR COURT HOTEL
WINDSOR, CT. (JUST ABOVE HARTFORD)
Free Parking!
Low Room Rates!
More Vendors!
More Floor Space!
CONNECTICUT SHOW TO FEATURE ATARI'S LATEST ENTRY
================================================
HARTFORD, Conn. (April 12)
More than 1,000 Atari computer enthusiasts are expected to converge
here June 12 and 13 at Connecticut AtariFest '93, and are certain to debate
whether the star of the show -- THE LONG-AWAITED FALCON030 COMPUTER --
lives up to its advance billing.
Yep, that ACT Atari Group is running another major NorthEast computer
event. Last year's successful CT Fest had over 700 attendees, which
merited a larger location, so we've moved a mile away (exit 42 on I-91)
into bigger and better quarters. We're just as convenient to reach as
ever, and only two hours from Boston or New York! The new hotel has
excellent room rates ($35.00 per room), free and plentiful parking, easy
access from Interstate 91, I-95, I-90, I-84, I-80, an in house Sports Bar,
a bigger ballroom and is located just 1 mile from Bradley International
Airport (free shuttle service for hotel guests).
The Falcon030 is a perfect low cost tool for the professional artist,
with 8 track, 16 bit musical capabilities, truecolor graphics and a 32 bit
DSP chip. The Falcon will be bundled with several music programs,
including a 4 track 'Direct to Disk' editing and recording program, a sound
sampler and an all purpose productivity package called AtariWorks.
The Hartford show will likely be one of the first encounters the
general public has with the new machine and software leading designers have
produced for it. Atari was performing quality control tests on the latest
production models shipped to the Sunnyvale headquarters in mid-April.
The two-day event will feature more than 40 exhibitors, including
several of the top names in music software development and MIDI equipment.
Tentative music exhibitors include Barefoot Software (formerly Hybrid
Arts), Digital F/X, Steinberg/Jones, Pro Musica, Compo Software and others.
The show, sponsored by ACT Atari Group, will be held at the Windsor Court
Hotel, just off Interstate 91 at exit 42.
Connecticut AtariFest'93 promises to showcase the work of several
musicians and will include some live music sessions.
Other vendors will demonstrate new equipment and software that will be
of interest to musicians whether they're on or off the job. Among them,
organizers have received tentative nods from A&D Software, ABC Solutions,
Baggetaware, Barefoot Software, Compo Software, Computer Studio, Derric
Electronics, East Hartford Computer Repair, Gribnif Software, ICD Inc.,
MegaType Software, Soft-Logik Publishing, Toad Computers, Wizztronics. Last
year 14 user groups participated, and that number is expected to grow by
June.
A Home Business and Entertainment Expo that will focus on high-tech
gadgetry designed for home use is also planned. Central activities will
include a New England Lynx Tournament for the gamester in the family, a
Portfolio corner for the on-the-go palmtop computer user, and other
technology such as VCRs, lap/palmtops, voice messaging systems, satellite
receivers, CD-ROM, fax-modems, large screen TV, printers, audio-video
components, cellular phones, office supplies, video games or add-on units
and accessories.
We'll have our annual New England Lynx Competition, with multiple
Comlynxed competitions underway at all times. Last year's winners took
home prizes ranging from games to accessories to complete Lynx Systems!
Bring your best player and join the fun.
We'll have the Portfolio Corner, staffed with industry pundits and
filled with every imaginable palmtop peripheral! Last year we had a few
Portfolios disassembled at the booth, a real insight into surface mount
technology!
For those of you with an eye towards seminars, we'll have them in
abundance, last year's question and answer session with Bob Brodie drew
standing only crowds! In addition, we had John Eidsvoog's walk through the
Codehead graphic tools, Jeff Naideau of Barefoot Software showing off
EdiTrack Platinum, Dave Troy of (Guess[ribbet]) Computers, STReport's Dana
Jacobson and Joe Mirando and many, many others.
And to top things off, come out and see the Falcon 030 in all its
glory. By then we expect to see some rad new programs out and some really
excitement! All in all, we hope to have the best Northeast show yet, and
we look forward to your participation. Make your plans now for the most
exciting Atari Weekend this spring!
For further information, call Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 or Doug
Finch at 203-637-1034. We can also be found on GEnie in Category 11 or on
Compuserve in the Atari Forums. E-mail can be directed to B.GOCKLEY or
D.FINCH7 on GEnie or to 75300,2514 or 76337,1067 on CIS.
_____________________________________________________________________
> AGGRESSIVE ASSUMPTION! STR Spotlight Will it ever end?
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
TRUE ZEAL OR AGGRESSIVE ASSUMPTION?
===================================
by R. F. Mariano
It's truly a shameful affair when we find messages such as the
following plaguing the IRREFUTABLE truth with senseless prattle emanating
from those claiming to "know otherwise". As has been the case, for what
seems like an eternity, STReport will once again stand tall with its
accuracy and truthful reporting. Of course, we speak of the debacle that
recently occurred on Delphi in its Atari area about the lay-offs at Atari.
When it came to the revealing information and quotes we received relative
to this event, the disinformation squads rose to the occasion with a new
"modus operandi". They actually spread half truths and innuendo in hopes
of deflecting attention away from the fact that two people, in particular
Lindsay and Meer, were actually laid off! Absolutely incredible. So
incredible that many began to call their actions a clumsy coverup. The
actual report as released by STReport is presented beneath this accusatory
message from Chris Millar, a very bright teenager, who seems to be
innocently following the "Atari line" being put forth by the "masters of
disinformation".
--><--
from Delphi's Atari Area
53731 27-APR 01:33 General Information
RE: What's going on here? (Re: Msg 53647)
From: CMILLAR To: RMARIANO
"The lay-off came when we reported it and it still is that way. The truth
will come out soon enough."
Now this seems to somewhat of a change. Originally, you reported that they
had been fired. That was then refuted in the pages of AEO, and by Andreas
Barbiero. You responded by saying something to the effect of, "But what
happens at the end of the week...". That would imply that what you
originally reported was false, and now you are refuting _that_.
Andreas Barbiero has stated time and time again that they are still working
for Atari. He has backed up this claim by stating that he spoken to him on
several occasions about this. He also claimed that you never attempted to
contact Atari concerning these matters. You, on the other hand, will not
divulge the source of your information, and have never claimed to have
tried to contact Atari. Couple this with your infamous history of
misrepresentation and sensationalism, and your credibility is non-existent.
"Nothings changed except the level of smoke."
The only smoke in this situation is the haze which seems to perpetually
cloud your judgement.
- Chris Millar
--><--
>From STReport 9.16
- Sunnyvale, CA REVOLVING DOOR VERY BUSY!
-------------
According to our sources, Mike Lindsay and Darren Meer, of Atari
Explorer Magazine, Gail Bicani developer support person and Bruce Coleman
have left Atari's employ. Additionally, our reporters find that Atari
Explorer Magazine may also have been shut down. Subsequently, Lindsay and
Meer were reportedly offered "commissioned employment" consisting of
selling subscriptions to the Explorer magazine which was reported to have
been refused.
In the last three weeks, Atari laid off twenty two employees including
Mel Stevens the man who organized most all of Atari's show efforts, a
veteran employee of nineteen years. Reportedly, about half of the Atari
headquarters building is relatively devoid of people and the warehouse is
alleged to be shutdown.
"For all intents and purposes, Atari may as well be shutdown, even
though they may claim to have about one hundred and fifty Falcons on hand"
said one observer who asked to remain anonymous. Amidst these events and
all the Falcon shipping delays and excuses, Atari's userbase is growing
quite uneasy as to the final outcome. Further developments reportedly
include information stating they've recently received a shipment of Falcons
(last Tuesday) destined for shipment in the USA. But it was further added
they must first go through Atari's QC thus, causing a possible three to
four week delay in shipping these units.
--><--
Mr. Millar makes quite a few assertions as to what was stated in our
release as everyone can plainly see, he is sadly mistaken. Never did
STReport ever state they had been fired. To add to the comments Millar
states;
"Andreas Barbiero has stated time and time again that they are still
working for Atari. He has backed up this claim by stating that
he spoken to him on several occasions about this."
I'm afraid Mr. Millar, you've fallen prey to a bad case of the
"assumptions". You've apparently ASSUMED that since Mr. Barbiero spoke to
Mr. Lindsay at Atari that Mr. Lindsay was still working for Atari and was
still on the payroll. Fact is they were laid-off on Holy Thursday, April
08, 1993 and our original bulletin disclosed this information on April 12,
1993. The report was true and accurate then and it still is now.
Millar continues to make demands;
"You, on the other hand, will not divulge the source of your
information, and have never claimed to have tried to contact Atari."
Revealing sources to you?? Surly you jest! Not you or anyone else
will know who our source are inside Atari not now, not EVER!
Its incredible to find the "broad all-encompassing" accusations
flowing freely as if they are a matter of fact. When, in fact, they are
simply more assumptions and at that, they're based on pure fantasy.
STReport diligently reports _all_ the verified happenings occurring in the
Atari platform not just the rosy pablum and fluff as some do or would have
us do, in our Atari edition. We did indeed attempt to contact Atari and
found a "recording" with Mike Lindsay's voice telling us all about their
"working on other projects" running on Lindsay's phone line a day or two
after the verified layoffs. Incidently and for the record, we re-verified
the layoffs again this past wednesday to make perfectly sure we were
correct. They are not on the payroll and haven't been since the thursday
in question. In clear concise terms; they're no longer in the employ of
Atari. While Lindsay may be around to answer the phone, he is not on the
payroll he is there trying to negotiate a deal to run Atari Explorer
Magazine on his own, outside of Atari. The original reports were verified.
STReport stands by the reports in their entirety.
Once again, for the record, STReport verified the information completely
before the release of the 4/12/93 bulletin. The only item in the
subsequent information released on the Friday the 16th is about the
"commissioned employment". This information was incorrect. Mike Lindsay
and Darren Meer were not offered any type of commissioned employment by
Atari. This is according to Mike himself, whom I spoke to recently. When
asked about his employment, he readily admitted that both he and Darren
were not on the Atari payroll. However, they were involved in negotiations
with Atari concerning Atari Explorer Magazine, he added. STReport, its
staff and contributors wish Mike and Darren all the success in the world if
they do take over Explorer on their own.
___________________________________________________________________
> BAGGETTA WARE STR InfoFile "The Eliemouse complimentary Coloring Book"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"THE ELIEMOUSE COMPLIMENTARY COLORING BOOK"
===========================================
PRESS RELEASE
BAGGETTA_WARE
P.O. BOX 759
AGAWAM, MA 01001-0759
VERSION 7 of "The Eliemouse Complimentary Coloring Book" (ECCB7) is now
available for shipping. One year of work has gone into this upgrade of
version 6. ECCB7 is MULTI-LINGUAL, allowing hours of fun in English,
Spanish or French for children ages 4 and up. Here are a few more of the
many features added:
Music feature added -- play tunes with color
Psychedelic color shifting
Pattern fills
New on-line games
Slide show feature
Add toys to pictures
Instant 'string art' designs
Quick change of languages
Add picture labels
New interface features
F-key alternate commands
Quick sheet
and much, much more....
ECCB7 is the only electronic coloring book featuring Eliemouse, the
user friendly fellow who communicates with your child during the coloring
activity. He is filled with compliments and ECCB is filled with lots of
educational fun for your child.
ECCB7 is being offered as a package as follows:
Main Program with 6 starter pictures
140 compressed pictures (Eliemouse and friends, butterflies
alphabet creatures, flowers, animation pictures, doofy
dinosaurs, stain glass windows, christmas pictures and
special story pictures).
Eliemouse Spelling Hunt Color Adventure Game
Eliemouse Paper, Scissors, Rocks Game
Eliemouse Count the Peanuts Game
6 Bonus Color Screens (.PI1 format)
48 Page Printed Manual
Souvenir Eliemouse Pencil
(Price $45.00 --A $100.00 value if purchased separately --
pictures disks may be ordered separately at $5.00 per disk)
UPGRADE -- Current users of ECCB may upgrade from any version to the
above package for only $25.00 -- Return original disk(s) and include $1.00
for postage)
Order from Baggetta_Ware
P.O. Box 759
Agawam, MA 01001-0759
***********************************************************************
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
GEnie costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to
more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia,
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MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Any time during your first month of membership if
you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back.
Welcome to the GEnie Windows and Windows NT RoundTable!
+------------------------+
Brought to you by Rick Ruhl (RICKER), | Files Messages RTC Help|
Richard Dill (RDILL), |-^-----^--------^---^---|
and Charlie Strom (STROM) | +-------------+ |
Windows R/T SYSOPs | |_____________| |
| | Windows | |
With Assistant SYSOPs | | +-------------+ |
Craig Austin (AUSTIN) Library | | |_____________| |
Stewart Hyde (STEWART) BB | | | | |
Ron McLurkin (MCLURKIN) Library | +-----| Windows NT | |
Peter Ziebel (PETER.Z) Help Desk | | 3.1 | |
Michele Cardone (MICHELE-C) Help Desk | | | |
Wayne Lively (W.LIVELY) Help Desk | +-------------+ |
Roy Green (R.GREEN13) Help Desk +------------------------+
Herman Griffith (HERM) Help Desk and BB
Mike Bourdeau (IMPERIAL-WE) Help Desk
Keith Elkin (K.ELKIN) Help Desk <Chatlines>
Wendy Reynolds (WENDYSUE) Help Desk <Chatlines>
Windows RT Newsletter
Holly Jahangiri (JESSIEBELLE) Editor
Peter Ziebel (PETER.Z) Editor
Promotions and Marketing
Laura Tanner (LTANNER)
Windows and Windows NT are trademarks and Microsoft is a registered
trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
The Windows R/T is independent and is not affiliated with Microsoft
Corporation.
+----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+
| "Open Windows" RT Meeting | | Windows RT Help Desk |
|----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
| Thursday, 21:30 ET | | Mon., Tues., Wed. & Friday |
| RTC Room 2 | | 21:30-00:30 ET RTC Room 2 |
+----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+
Voted Best New RT on GEnie, 1993
The Windows RT is proud to Welcome
Berkeley Systems, Inc.
Makers of:
"After Dark for Windows"
and
"Star Trek, the screen saver"
Online Support Area
Windows Bulletin Board
Category 27
Pick Item 1 from the Windows Menu
and type 'SET 27' in the BB
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
***********************************************************************
> IAAD REPORT STR FOCUS! Piracy Kills on the Atari Platform
""""""""""""""""""""""
IAAD PIRACY REPORT
==================
(reprint with permission by D.A. Brumleve 4/27/93)
This article is the result of contributions by people from every facet of
the Atari community. Many thanks to all the users, developers, sysops, and
others who provided the investigators with information and assistance.
[Note: Stand-alone quotations are framed on the left and right by
the "~" character.]
Small Developers, Big Business
How Pirate BBSs Impact on the Entire Atari Community
by D.A. Brumleve, President, IAAD
Copyright 1993 by D.A. Brumleve
The Independent Association of Atari Developers represents over sixty
companies supporting the Atari ST platform with commercial software and
hardware. Now and then a "pirate" BBS will come to our members' attention.
We'll capture the file areas and study them. We'll cringe at the download
counts and growl at the messages about our products. We'll download copies
of our products and trace the original owner. Sometimes we'll even file
a police report, but the pirate board stays up and callers keep calling,
downloading, and uploading our programs. And every time we leave this
experience further demoralized, less enthusiastic about writing for the ST,
less enthusiastic about programming in _general_.
Recently, the IAAD undertook a more comprehensive investigation of pirate
BBSs in North America. We solicited information from the public -- and the
Atari community responded. In spite of some previous experience with
pirate boards, I was not at all prepared for the amount of pirate activity
we found.
On each pirate BBS, we found numbers for other BBSs, many of which also
proved to have copyrighted files. We found concentrated pockets of heavy
pirate activity in the Southwest, the East, and the Southeast, but we also
found isolated pirate boards in just about every region of the continent.
We found small boards with few users and fewer files; we found big boards
with hundreds of users offering nearly every commercial program on the
market of current interest. We found young teens actively involved in
criminal activity -- and older, more experienced men showing them the
ropes. On every user list, I encountered folks I know: the doting father
who bought Super Kidgrid for his daughter at a show, the user group officer
who contacted me for IAAD brochures, and many, many others who chat with me
from time to time on the major pay services.
Because of the scope and scale of this activity, I feel that it's important
to share our findings with the Atari community at large. What follows is
the outcome of our investigation.
1. The Damage
~ This BBS DOES NOT support the transfer of any pirated ~
~ software. ~
-- Rats Nest BBS
~ Rats Nest always had some of the best stuff around... ~
--Zaphod Beeblebrox on Fawlty Towers BBS
When people pirate programs they would otherwise buy, developers and
dealers (and distributors) lose sales. Dealers respond to low sales by
closing or supporting another platform. Developers respond to low sales by
raising their prices or by dropping the product; either way, the market is
damaged.
How badly damaged? Let's take a look at just some of the commercial
applications and utilities which were until recently available on the Rats
Nest in Loma Alta CA. For the sake of brevity, I've limited this
particular list to products of IAAD members and Atari Corporation; thus
this list does not include applications and utilities by publishers who are
not members of the IAAD, public domain files, or shareware programs.
_
____ __ / \
/ \ / \ \ /
\ | | ___ | \ / \ _____ /\ ___
| | __ _ __\ /__ /\ | \| |/ \ / /__\ /__
| / / \/ \/ \ / / | |\ | -- // // \
| \| | \ |\__ __// / | | \ | ___\\ \\__ __/
| |\ | | | | | | \ \ | | \ |\_____/ \ \ | |
| | \ | / | | | \ \ | | \_/ / / | |
\ / \/\__/\./ \ / / / \ / / / \ /
/ \ | / \ / / / \ / / / \
\./ | \./ / / \./ \/ \./
| | \/ | | |
| . . | . . |
. | .
.
*^* (#1) Applications *^*
### | Filename.Ext Size Date Brief Description
5 | Maxif_3A.Lzh 55665 01-03-92 MaxiFile v3.3a
13 | Hdsentry.Lzh 33922 01-10-92 HD Sentry... HD optimizer, fixer
18 | Xboot .Lzh 37888 01-18-92 X-Boot, like Desk Manager
19 | Steno .Lzh 28885 01-18-92 STeno, from Gribnif. Sortof Flakey
36 | Gramxprt.Lzh 84265 02-05-92 Grammer Expert
37 | Grnslamc.Lzh 56066 02-05-92 Gran Slam!
48 | Codeke13.Lzh 98427 02-05-92 CodeKeys v1.3 from Gribnif
49 | Mltdsh33.Lzh 217352 02-05-92 MultiDesk Deluxe v3.3
56 | Knife108.Lzh 87757 02-05-92 Knife ST!
71 | Lookpop .Lzh 109631 02-07-92 Look It! and Pop It! from Codeheads
72 | Imagecat.Lzh 290048 02-07-92 ImageCat 2.o
111 | Hpas_A .Lzh 247343 02-22-92 High Speed Pascal, Disk 1 of 2
112 | Hpas_B .Lzh 269757 02-22-92 High Speed Pascal, Disk 2 of 2
150 | Tos_206 .Lzh 77116 03-22-92 Tos 2.06 software vertion
151 | Hyprlink.Lzh 271744 03-28-92 HyperLink
164 | Chem1_2 .Lzh 217327 04-05-92 Chemistry - Arrakis educational
165 | Chm2Sts1.Lzh 222763 04-05-92 Chemistry 2 and Stats from Arrakis
166 | Alg11_12.Lzh 224322 04-06-92 Algebra 1 from Arrakis educational
167 | Alg12_21.Lzh 247109 04-06-92 Algebra 2 from Arrakis
168 | Al3_1Tr1.Zip 239499 04-06-92 Algebra 3 Trig 1 from Arrakis
173 | Neocli .Lzh 66076 04-19-92 NeoDesk Command Line... nice
178 | Tos1_4 .Zip 123342 04-25-92 To run those stubern 1.4 tos soft
197 | Xboot257.Zip 51420 05-06-92 Newest Version of X-Boot (v2.57)
221 | Tw13E_A .Lzh 703536 05-17-92 That's Write 1.3 - English - 1/2
222 | Tw13E_B .Lzh 703536 05-17-92 That's Write 1.3 - English - 2/2
228 | Gen106_A.Lzh 192808 05-17-92 That's Relative 106 1/2 ELITE release
229 | Gen106_B.Lzh 130361 05-17-92 That's Relative 2/2 ELITE release
243 | P_Nix15A.Lzh 427252 05-30-92 Phoenix v.1.5 - Disk 1 of 3
244 | P_Nix15B.Lzh 410836 05-30-92 Phoenix v.1.5 - Disk 2 of 3
245 | P_Nix15C.Lzh 410836 05-30-92 Phoenix v.1.5 - Disk 3 of 3
258 | Tracker .Lzh 402564 06-08-92 Rolodex/Client Tracking util
287 | Mint80A .Lzh 503661 07-20-92 MultiTos v8.0 [1/3]
288 | Mint80B .Lzh 181797 07-20-92 MultiTos v8.0 [2/3]
289 | Mint80C .Lzh 263956 07-20-92 MultiTos v8.0 [3/3]
297 | Scanlitd.Arc 33361 08-01-92 Hand Scanner software
308 | Codehed4.Lzh 191763 08-08-92 CodeHead Utilities rel.4 (1991)
317 | Clnup426.Lzh 91942 08-29-92 ICD CleanUP 4.26 Host required
334 | Edhak236.Lzh 43125 09-12-92 Edhack v2.36 (patched from v2.35)
335 | Dmd_Edge.Lzh 149439 09-13-92 Diamond Edge 1.0 ELITE release
352 | Dback250.Lzh 85508 10-03-92 Diamond Back 2.50 latest
356 | Warp9373.Lzh 338270 10-07-92 Warp 9 3.73 Complete Package
374 | L_Rad_E1.Lzh 631730 10-18-92 Redacteur 3 1/4 (eng) ELITE release
375 | L_Rad_E2.Lzh 485004 10-18-92 Redacteur 3 2/3 (eng) ELITE release
376 | L_Rad_E3.Lzh 660252 10-18-92 Redacteur 3 3/4 (eng) ELITE release
377 | L_Rad_E4.Lzh 525994 10-18-92 Redacteur 3 4/4 (eng) ELITE release
378 | Icdb604C.Lzh 12971 10-18-92 ICD Booter 6.0.4 (crack'd) by Zaphod
388 | Harleq21.Lzh 360135 11-12-92 Harlequin 201 Genesis INC
release(old)
392 | Adspeed .Lzh 95744 11-20-92 ICD Adspeed Accelerator Software.
396 | Harl_206.Lzh 354749 11-26-92 Harlequin vrs. 2.06
402 | Spectre3.Zip 446203 12-02-92 Spectre 3.0 software
403 | Xboot300.Lzh 59385 12-04-92 X-Boot v3.00
408 | Cache_Cr.Lzh 33876 12-13-92 Cache 2.56 ELITE hacked/all features
410 | Mvg200 .Lzh 488069 12-13-92 Multi Vue Graphica 2.0
421 | Cardf403.Lzh 186987 01-03-93 Card File 4.03 from Gribnif lates ver
422 | St_Sutra.Lzh 657385 01-03-93 STSutra ELITE release still beta..
453 | Uvk5_7 .Lzh 276224 02-01-93 UVK 5.7gb latest vr
460 | Falcprgs.Lzh 572035 02-03-93 The Programs included with the
Falcon.
470 | Icdpro68.Lzh 528187 02-06-93 ICD Boot PRO 6.0.8!
474 | Tos206B .Zip 148016 02-07-93 TOS 2.06 as a program!
480 | Calpro_2.Lzh 332815 02-18-93 Calligrapher Professional [2/5].
481 | Calpro_3.Lzh 305163 02-18-93 Calligrapher Professional [3/5].
482 | Calpro_4.Lzh 406075 02-18-93 Calligrapher Professional [4/5].
483 | Calpro_5.Lzh 328443 02-18-93 Calligrapher Professional [5/5].
494 | Mint_81 .Lzh 407624 02-22-93 mint81
502 | Neo303_1.Lzh 354937 03-06-93 NeoDesk 3.03 "MASTER" disk [1/3]
503 | Neo303_2.Lzh 328564 03-06-93 NeoDesk 3.03 "EXTRAS" disk [2/3]
504 | Neo303_3.Lzh 24763 03-06-93 NeoDesk 3.03 Util disk [3/3]
514 | Cali3_2 .Lzh 273959 03-13-93 Calligrapher 3, 2/4
515 | Cali3_3 .Lzh 309849 03-13-93 Calligrapher 3, 3/4
516 | Cali3_4 .Lzh 504895 03-13-93 Calligrapher 3, 4/4
531 | Cali3100.Lzh 290501 03-23-93 Caligrapher 3 Pro 100% disk 1 CO/ICS
535 | Mt101 .Tos 294518 03-24-93 MultiTOS v.1.01
542 | Atariwx1.Zip 285943 03-27-93 Atari Works 1/2
543 | Atariwx2.Zip 701987 03-27-93 Atari Works 2/2
Fawlty Towers provides an example of typical desktop publishing products
available on such BBSs:
//////////////////////// /// ///////////// /// ///
/// /// /// /// /// /// ///
/// /// /// /// /// /// ///
///////// //////////// /// /// ///////
/// /// /// /// /// ///
/// /// /// /// /// /// ///
/// /// /// /// /// /// ///
/// /// //////////////////////////////////////
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
\\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\ \\\
\\\ \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ \\\\\\\\\\
*^* (#8) ST DTP *^*
### | Filename.Ext Size Date Brief Description
|
1 | Avant .Lzh 171368 02-11-92 ADvant Vector
8 | Dp_E1 .Lzh 343016 03-17-92 Insane!!! Didot-professional DTP
[1/2]
9 | Dp_E2 .Lzh 414822 03-17-92 The best! Didot-Professional DTP
[2/2]
10 | Siloutte.Lzh 323802 05-11-92 Sillhoutte Vector Graphics/Ray Tracer
11 | Outline .Lzh 193536 05-13-92 Calamus Outline Art
16 | Pgs22_1 .Lzh 322001 07-25-92 Pagestream v2.2 [1/4].
17 | Pgs22_2 .Lzh 379509 07-25-92 Pagestream v2.2 [2/4].
18 | Pgs22_3 .Lzh 317627 07-25-92 Pagestream v2.2 [3/4].
19 | Pgs22_4 .Lzh 428038 07-25-92 Pagestream v2.2 [4/4].
27 | Ara213 .Lzh 329614 08-06-92 Aribesque 2.13
34 | Sl_Enga .Lzh 370940 12-17-92 Calamus
35 | Sl_Eng_B.Lzh 237849 12-17-92 Calamus
36 | Sl_Eng_C.Lzh 318914 12-17-92 Calamus
37 | Convec20.Lzh 311683 01-05-93 Convector 2.0
38 | Cranach1.Lzh 282850 01-05-93 Cool
39 | Cranach2.Lzh 153775 01-05-93 cool
40 | Skyplot1.Lzh 248536 01-05-93 SkyPlot disk 1/2
41 | Skyplot2.Lzh 205589 01-05-93 SkyPlot disk 2/2
42 | Skyplot3.Lzh 323450 01-05-93 Skyplot disk 3? or 3?
43 | Cfned22 .Lzh 17227 01-27-93 Takes Serial #'s off Calamus Fonts
44 | Slmodul2.Lzh 90489 01-27-93 Some Moduals for Calamus
45 | Genus .Lzh 80305 02-01-93 Genus v1.78 - Calamus Fonteditor.
46 | Touchup1.Lzh 362626 02-06-93 Touch Up disk 1/2
47 | Touchup2.Lzh 230762 02-06-93 Touch up disk 2/2
48 | Calpro_1.Lzh 328402 02-24-93 Caligrapher Pro [1/5]
49 | Calpro_2.Lzh 332815 02-24-93 Cal Pro [2/5]
50 | Calpro_3.Lzh 305163 02-24-93 Cal Pro [3/5]
51 | Calpro_4.Lzh 406075 02-24-93 Cal Pro [4/5]
52 | Calpro_5.Lzh 328443 02-24-93 Cal Pro [5/5]
STampede offers Super Nintendo software, so it's not surprising to find a
good many commercial ST games as well:
________ ________ _______
/__ __/\/ _____/\/ _____/\
_______ ______________ \_/ /\_\/ /\____\ /__/\___\/
/ \/ \ ___/ / / / /_/__ \___ /\
/ ____/____ ______/\ /_______/\/_______/\//______/ /
/ /\___\___/ /\_____\/ \_______\/\_______\/ \______\/
/ / / / / / _ ___ __ _ ___
/ /_/_ / / / / //_ /_/ /_// /
\____ \ / / / /_/__// / / //_/ SYSOP
\__/ /\ / / /_________ ______________ _____ \ PAK
/ / // / / __ / \/ __ / __/ __ \/ __/\
_____/ / // / / __ / / / / __/ __/ /_/ / __/\/
/_________/ //____/ /_/ /_/_/_/_/__/\/____/_____/____/\/ CO-SYSOP
\_________\/ \____\/\_\ \_\_\_\_\__\/\____\_____\____\/ SCYTHE
ATARI ST/STE/TT ___ ___ _____ THE THREAT/ICS
CONSOLES SNES/SMD / _ \/ _ \/ ___/\ MR.FLY/ICS
U. S. ROBOTICS 14,400 HST / _ / _ /__ /\/ SLASH/ICS
24 HOURS A DAY /____/____/____/ / BELGARION/ICS
\____\____\____\/ JPC/ICS
*^* (#1) GAMES! GAMES! GAMES! *^*
#### Filename.Ext Size Date Brief Description
1 Ox_Final.Lzh 4958 1-25-93 Crack of OXYD for ALL Tos +codes printer
2 Ace_Boot.Zip 2482o5 1-28-93 Space Ace II [1/6].
3 Make1.Prg 771554 1-28-93 Space Ace II [2/6].
4 Make2.Prg 8o174o 1-28-93 Space Ace II [3/6].
5 Make3.Prg 757744 1-28-93 Space Ace II [4/6].
6 Make4.Prg 816522 1-28-93 Space Ace II [5/6].
7 Make5.Prg 773416 1-28-93 Space Ace II [6/6].
17 Grandad.Prg 121942 2-5-93 Grandad... code revealed ClockWork/ICS
19 Plan9_A.Lzh 446365 2-1o-93 Plan 9 From Outer Space [1/4] -=ELITE=-
2o Plan9_B.Lzh 694644 2-1o-93 Plan 9 From Outer Space [2/4] -=ELITE=-
21 Plan9_C.Lzh 559989 2-1o-93 Plan 9 From Outer Space [3/4] -=ELITE=-
22 Plan9_D.Lzh 46o123 2-1o-93 Plan 9 From Outer Space [4/4] -=ELITE=-
23 Bat2A.Lzh 494437 2-11-93 BAT II- Disk 1/5 in English
24 Bat2B.Lzh 513453 2-11-93 BAT II- Disk 2/5
25 Bat2C.Lzh 453112 2-11-93 BAT II- Disk 3/5
26 Bat2D.Lzh 533968 2-11-93 BAT II- Disk 4/5
27 Bat2E.Lzh 479446 2-11-93 BAT II- Disk 5/5
28 Ics_Bat1.Lzh 519321 2-11-93 BAT 2 Disk 1/5 *german* +-=I.C.S=-+
29 Ics_Bat2.Lzh 53322o 2-11-93 BAT 2 Disk 2/5
3o Ics_Bat3.Lzh 46437o 2-11-93 BAT 2 Disk 3/5
31 Ics_Bat4.Lzh 542978 2-11-93 BAT 2 Disk 4/5
32 Ics_Bat5.Lzh 5o5595 2-11-93 BAT 2 Disk 5/5
36 Ics_Sp21.Lzh 487641 2-13-93 Space Crusade II 1/2 cracked by -=ICS=-
37 Ics_Sp22.Lzh 39834o 2-13-93 Space Crusade II 2/2
38 Bat_Ii.Zip 1243o 2-13-93 BAT II Complete docs
41 Ics_Dl3o.Lzh 77o5o8 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III The Curse Of Mordead
42 Ics_Dl31.Lzh 585584 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 2/8 -=ICS=-
43 Ics_Dl32.Lzh 432o33 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 3/8 -=ICS=-
44 Ics_Dl33.Lzh 451928 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 4/8 -=ICS=-
45 Ics_Dl34.Lzh 517527 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 5/8 -=ICS=-
46 Ics_Dl35.Lzh 5o9381 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 6/8 -=ICS=-
47 Ics_Dl36.Lzh 6o3781 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 7/8 -=ICS=-
48 Ics_Dl37.Lzh 612524 2-14-93 Dragons Lair III 8/8 -=ICS=-
51 Galaxian.Lzh 163o72 2-15-93 Galaxian
52 Cyberlzh.Lzh 6276o5 2-16-93 Cyber Assult [ZX/ICS] *READ FULL DESC*
56 Ics_Cybr.Lzh 168957 2-21-93 Cyberdome Hoverjet Simulator -=ICS=-
58 Rebelion.Zip 33119o 2-22-93 Rebellion D'Bug release
64 Ics_Nigl.Lzh 763445 2-28-93 Nigel Manesll cracked by Belgarion/ICS
65 Ics_Gob1.Lzh 537814 3-2-93 Gobliins II *THE REAL ENGLISH VERSION*
66 Ics_Gob2.Lzh 65o934 3-2-93 Gobliins II 2/3 -=ICS=-
67 Ics_Gob3.Lzh 6o82o1 3-2-93 Gobliins II 3/3 -=ICS=-
72 Grav2.Zip 247252 3-7-93 Grav II
74 Kil_Mach.Lzh 283892 3-7-93 Killing Machine
98 Ics_Civo.Lzh 322966 3-19-93 Civilization 1/4 cr. by Belgarion/ICS
99 Ics_Civa.Lzh 328o17 3-19-93 Civilization 2/4 -=ICS=-
1oo Ics_Civb.Lzh 33o664 3-19-93 Civilization 3/4 -=ICS=-
1o1 Ics_Civc.Lzh 3o3685 3-19-93 Civilization 4/4 -=ICS=-
1o2 Civiliz.Zip 51863 3-19-93 Civilization full docs
1o3 Civhints.Zip 15878 3-19-93 Civilization hints and tips
1o4 Frank.Prg 1461oo 3-2o-93 Frankenstein CyniX release
1o5 Crys_A.Lzh 23447o 3-2o-93 CRYSTAL KINGDOM DIZZY Disk 1/2
1o6 Crys_B.Lzh 532o62 3-2o-93 CRYSTAL KINGDOM DIZZY Disk 2/2
114 Sleep1.Lzh 781519 3-27-93 Sleep Walker [1/3] *-CyniX!-*
115 Sleep2.Lzh 774173 3-27-93 Sleep Walker [2/3]
116 Sleep3.Lzh 8o4o2o 3-27-93 Sleep Walker [3/3]
I must stress that this is just a small sampling of the kinds of offerings
we found -- and of the boards we investigated. Most boards (pirate and
legitimate) have separate file areas for different kinds of products (MIDI,
DTP, Applications, Utilities, Games, Docs, Graphic Utilities, etc.). A BBS
which offers a wealth of Utilities, for example, is likely to have a strong
database in other file categories as well. Please note that these are just
partial lists from a single file category on each of these boards. A truly
comprehensive listing would make this article intolerably huge.
The IAAD's membership total fluctuates, but right now we are holding steady
around the 60-member mark. Products owned or distributed by nearly every
single member were found on one BBS or another during our investigation;
some of our members were victimized by every pirate board we called.
The self-confessed pirate Troed says this about piracy:
~ I NEVER buy a program without knowing if it is what I ~
~ want .. the ShareWare principle .. but how do I check ~
~ that with commercial software? By pirating them, using ~
~ them .. if I like them, I want the original + manual .. ~
~ I buy it. ~
-- Troed on the F-Net, STReport Conference
but contradicts himself a paragraph later:
~ I bought my STe for $800 one year ago, if I were to ~
~ registre/buy [sic] all the soft I use I would have to ~
~ pay something around $10000 .. I can't afford that. ~
--Troed on the F-Net, STReport Conference
On the one hand, Troed insists that he merely tries out his pirated
software prior to purchase -- and buys it if he wants it. But on the other
hand, he _uses_ $10,000 worth of commercial products and _cannot_ afford to
pay for it. I would concede that it is possible that some software thieves
do use their pirated downloads in the same way that honest people use
commercial demos and shareware...some, but not many.
Developers are well aware of "software collectors". These are folks who
simply must have a copy of everything, whether it meets their needs or not.
The majority of software collectors want the real thing, manual and all.
It's our experience that, because pirate board users have to pay with an
upload (or with money) for each and every download, few will bother to
download programs they don't really want, need, and plan to use. Because
of this, the majority of downloads from pirate boards must be viewed as
lost potential sales. And those few pirates who are collectors or who
find they don't need a particular file will hang onto it and later share it
with others in order to earn upload credits.
We found Warp 9 on nearly every pirate board we called. CodeHead had
purchased the QuickST kernal used for Warp 9 from Darek Mihocka of Branch
Always Software, and Charles Johnson worked very hard to refine and extend
it in order to deliver to us the indispensable utility Warp 9 has become.
Like many CodeHead products, Warp 9 is so easy to use that the manual is
not needed for basic use. Warp 9 sells for $44.95; a purchase like this
wouldn't put many STers in the poorhouse. But how many people downloading
this program from a BBS would go to the trouble of ordering it after
"testing it out"?
A good example of the speed at which pirates can destroy the sales
potential of a new release is shown by the upload date on this entry found
on the Rats Nest (the notation "Off" indicates that this file has been
removed, probably when a later version superseded it):
336 | Warp9370.Zip --Off-- 09-13-92 Warp 9 v. 3.70 - Glendale Release
CodeHead released this version on Saturday, September 12, 1992 at the
Glendale AtariFaire. By Sunday, before the second day of the show was even
over, it was already in distribution by pirates.
What about more expensive products? At $795, Calamus SL by DMC is one of
the pricier offerings on the North American market. It's a high-end DTP
package requiring or benefitting from an additional investment in
sophisticated Atari hardware, accelerator boards, graphics cards, and a
large-capacity hard drive.
~ It was bad enough to discover Calamus SL on just ~
~ about every single "pirate" board that was ~
~ investigated; it was worse to discover a program ~
~ written specifically to strip out our serialization. ~
~ But the real kicker was to discover our entire 600- ~
~ page manual available for downloading in ASCII. The ~
~ people that run these boards are criminals and deserve ~
~ to be put in jail. Their "customers", those that ~
~ frequent these boards, are, at best, petty thieves. ~
~ What disgusts me the most is how many of these ~
~ "customers" would never consider themselves thieves ~
~ even though they are stealing from me, from my family, ~
~ from my company, and from the Atari community at large. ~
--Nathan Potechin of DMC
Since the manuals for such extensive programs are truly required in order
to make good use of the product, software thieves will actually go to the
trouble of typing them in or copying them with OCR software (which is also
conveniently available on these BBSs). Even when a manual is
indispensable, the software pirate may have no need to actually purchase
the program in order to make full use of it.
Expensive products get that way because of development and production
costs. While the raw materials in a typical software package may cost only
a few dollars, it takes much more than pieces of paper and a disk to make a
commercial product. Calamus SL cost DMC hundreds of thousands of dollars
for development staff alone, _not_ counting expenses related to the writing
and production of the manual, packaging, marketing, duplication, overhead,
etc. A share of this expense must be borne by everyone who uses the
program in order to recoup costs and keep development going. When people
use the program without paying for it, this simply does not happen.
Many ST development firms are essentially one-man shows; the programmer is
also the accountant, the publisher, the editor, the secretary. Developers
like these are apt to take software theft very personally and feel the
impact very intensely. One developer's reaction to his product's
proliferation on pirate boards began: "I used to be against capital
punishment..."
~ ...It hurts, and I don't mean that strictly in a ~
~ financial sense, either. We've tried hard, I mean ~
~ _really_ hard, to provide quality software at a ~
~ reasonable price coupled with a customer support ~
~ policy that is second to none...The pirate mentality ~
~ couldn't care less about us and our ideals of customer ~
~ service. And that hurts. ~
--John Hutchinson of Fair Dinkum
~ It's very discouraging to me to see illegal copies of ~
~ Flash II appear on these so-called pirate boards. I ~
~ wonder if the folks that steal our program understand ~
~ the length of time it took to produce it? Flash II ~
~ ver. 2.0 took 3 years to create and spent another year ~
~ in beta test. Version 2.1 took close to another year ~
~ to modify and test. We're practically giving it away ~
~ as it is! ~
--John Trautschold of Missionware
Word Perfect has been public about having dropped future development for
the ST and about the reason for that decision: low sales. It can't be a
coincidence that Word Perfect for the ST was on many boards we called.
I doubt that STers are any less honest than owners of other computer
brands, but ours is a small market, and piracy here can hurt developers
much more than on more popular platforms. If a platform has 10 million
users and 90% of them are pirates, the software developers still have 1
million potential buyers. On a platform like the ST, with only a few
hundred thousand users at most by comparison, even if _no_one_ stole
software, developers would still only have a few hundred thousand potential
buyers. In reality, only the most popular products are likely to sell in
quantities greater than 1000 units in North America. In the case of a
coveted and respected multi-platform application like Word Perfect, if the
program had not been pirated so many times over, the sales figures might
well have been sufficient to justify further development for the benefit of
ST owners.
~ I talked to a couple of shops...and...asked if they ~
~ were interested in carrying any music education stuff. ~
~ They said that they would love to carry some but could ~
~ not sell any education, music, or game software due to ~
~ the fact that if anyone wanted a copy they would pirate ~
~ it...The only thing they have real success at selling ~
~ is applications due to people wanting a printed manual + ~
~ phone support...I didn't make a sale. ~
--Jim Collins of chro_MAGIC
There's a small profit margin in selling computer hardware; dealers depend
on income from software sales to sustain their businesses. In every area
where large pirate boards flourish, Atari dealers have closed their doors
in spite of a comparatively large installed base of users. "It got to the
point where I sold only magazines," one former dealer complained. "They'd
buy the magazines to find out what programs were worth downloading."
Honest users in these areas are likely to grumble about the loss of the
dealers; pirates grumble, too, because their link to newhardware, service,
and magazines has been lost. Every dealer lost means fewer hardware sales
for Atari, fewer software sales for developers, fewer new members for users
groups, fewer vendors and attendees at fewer shows.
With the Atari user base in serious decline, it is more important now than
ever that piracy not be tolerated. Make no mistake about it: pirated
software is _not_ free.
~ Wait-wait-wait... There is nothing positive piracy does ~
~ for a computer company. Nor is it anything BUT negative. ~
~ I look at it like this...We can always blame Atari for ~
~ not advertising, but if there were no Atari pirates, ~
~ more software would have been sold, making the computer ~
~ more viable for software companies, which in turn makes ~
~ the computer more desirable for a user. So, basically ~
~ what I'm saying is, the people who love Atari the most, ~
~ (us) are the same people who have been killing it for ~
~ years. And there was a time when Atari was big ~
~ EVERYWHERE...There was even an Atari dealer here in my ~
~ little town of Lake Wales! That's where I bought my 400! ~
-- Fruit-WARE Man on Excalibur II BBS
Ultimately, we all pay for piracy one way or another: Atari, developers,
dealers, and users -- even the pirates.
2. How it Works
For the uninitiated, let's define some terms. A "pirate board" is a
Bulletin Board System (BBS) on which copyrighted commercial files are
offered to users for downloading without compensation for the copyright
holder. Some pirate boards are devoted to this activity almost
exclusively, and sysops running these boards accept only fellow pirates as
users. Other pirate BBSs have pd/shareware files areas in addition to
hidden commercial areas; honest users of such boards may have access only
to the pd/shareware sections and may be completely unaware of the pirate
nature of the board.
Software pirates have a unique lexicon to describe their activities. Users
allowed into the commercial areas have been granted "elite access". The
commercial files are referred to as "warez"; elite file areas on some BBSs
include sections on such related topics as pornography, defrauding long
distance carriers, and creating one's own Super Nintendo Entertainment
System cartridges by burning the software into EPROMs. Callers who take
without giving back (download without uploading) are called "leeches", and
downloadable files may be referred to as "leechables". Defrauding the
phone company by using illegal techniques to make long distance calls is a
mainstay of the art of "phreaking". "Cracked" versions of programs have
the copy-protection and/or registration and serial numbers removed. "0
day" is the day a commercial product is officially released. Many pirates
have also adopted a manner of writing which flaunts the rules of our
language, such as swapping lower and upper case, substituting "z" for "s"
and "ph" for "f", etc.
Successful software theft has two basic requirements: a dishonest person
willing to give away a copy of a program he has purchased -- and another
dishonest person willing to accept it. When this activity takes place on a
Bulletin Board System, a given copy can be distributed rapidly from BBS to
BBS, from user to sysop to user, all over the world. One person's
willingness to give away that first copy can lead to its possession by
literally thousands of others. Pirate boards succeed because there are
many people willing to give or take the copies -- and because the sysop
uses strategies calculated to maintain and escalate their involvement.
The pirate sysop sets up his BBS, invests in a high-speed modem and phone
lines, and advertises his number on other BBSs. When the calls start
coming in, the sysop scrutinizes each would-be user and decides whether or
not to validate the new account and what level of access to allow.
~ I've seen credit applications that made more sense. ~
-- Sandy Wilson on GEnie, describing a brief encounter
with the new user questionnaire on a BBS running
RATSoft ST
~ Do you believe in the free distribution of software be ~
~ it copyrighted or not? ~
-- Fawlty Towers BBS, from the new user questionnaire
The sysop has two major responsibilities: to keep the board running and to
ensure security. He requires full disclosure from his callers. He wants
his callers' real names, real addresses, real phones, but he is not likely
to reveal his own name or location. There is usually an elaborate
questionnaire. The sysop may call the new user's voice number to check its
authenticity. He may do thorough background checks with other information
the caller has provided. He may keep a blacklist of uncooperative or
non-productive callers (leeches) and share it with other sysops.
~ NEW USERS: IF YOU DON'T DO A NEW USER UPLOAD YOU WILL NOT ~
~ GET ACCESS. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A NEW USER UPLOAD IS ~
~ YOU DON'T BELONG ON THIS BBS. ~
-- PAK on STampede BBS
The callers themselves supply the warez which keep the board active. They
earn credits for uploading, and apply those credits toward future
downloads. Pressure to upload a file often begins immediately after a new
user's account is validated. It may even be part of the new user
questionnaire prior to validation. Typically, a New User Upload is
required before the new user is given full access, including the ability to
download. Sometimes the sysop will allow the new user to view the files
area on the BBS in order to entice the caller into uploading a commercial
file. On other boards, the commercial files area will stay completely
hidden from the new user until after he has proved his worthiness -- and
incriminated himself -- by sharing a commercial program of his own.
Like a kid in a candy store, the caller wants one of everything, but to get
it, he must pay the price. So he looks at his collection and chooses a
program he hopes will meet with the sysop's approval. Merely uploading the
program may not be enough to gain elite access; the upload may be judged on
how new it is, whether the board already has a copy, or even whether the
program chosen is useful or well-reviewed.
~ You Understand that you MUST keep a 'reasonable' file ~
~ Upload/ Download ratio And "K-Byte" ratio or your ~
~ Access WILL be Lowered and maybe Deleted!! ~
-- Gold Nugget BBS, from the new user questionnaire
~ Donate! King Arthur has a very reasonable donation ~
~ policy that makes it easily affordable to have ~
~ unlimited download credits...It's so much fun on the ~
~ Atari (and soon to be Falcon) scene now that there's ~
~ no excuse for you to miss out! ~
-- Little Flea on Excalibur II BBS
~ ...I started caring, and so the users that DID not post, ~
~ called within 30 days, and sent new files, got kicked ~
~ off.. YOU DON'T [sic] GET NOTHING FOR FREE!!! ~
--The Conjurer, sysop of Outer Planes BBS, on the F-Net,
Elite Underground Conference
The sysop uses his warez to entice callers, but he may also perfunctorily
ax callers who violate his rules or confidentiality requirements. The
threat of being cut off from the source keeps the callers uploading on a
regular basis. The BBS software keeps track of a user's download/upload
ratio; ratios that are unacceptably high on the download side may result in
censure by the sysop or loss of access. If a user has no files of value
to offer the sysop, he may be able to gain privileges by sending in a
"donation". Some sysops forego the euphemisms and announce flatly that
they charge for greater access.
~ Does anyone have Trump castle? Im [sic] starting to run ~
~ thin on other boards for credits. I would rather save ~
~ them for the 0 days stuff. If you have it could you ~
~ please u/l it. ~
--Shadow Master on London Smog BBS
In order to keep his account current, the user may be forced to call in
every few weeks; each call results in a deduction from the user's credit
total, so he's back looking for new files to upload. If the caller gets
those files from another BBS, he'll get caught up in a never-ending cycle
of uploads and downloads in order to keep his accounts active on all the
boards he calls. Occasionally, he may have to buy a program outright in
order to upload it. The caller is reminded of any deficit in his credit
total every time he calls and may be denied access to certain areas until
the total is in the black.
~ Well, after being away from the BBS scene for awhile, I ~
~ have finally found an Elite BBS! (Thanks PAK! :). Anyhow, ~
~ please send me BBS #/NUPs for boards that carry elite ~
~ Macintosh or SNES console stuff. ~
-- Nostrildomus on STampede BBS
Some pirate-only BBSs won't allow any but the most serious of callers.
They may require all users to have 9600-baud modems or greater. They may
limit 2400-baud callers to less desirable calling hours. Some require
would-be callers to announce their first upload before being allowed
access; the sysop then decides whether or not this caller will be a
valuable contributor on that basis. Some require referrals from other
pirate boards. A twist on this is the New User Password, spread from user
to user. Boards like the Computer Connection will ask for this "NUP" in
the new user questionnaire. If the caller cannot provide it, access is not
granted. Most boards ask at the very least for the names and numbers of
the boards the new user already calls; a new user who provides incorrect
numbers or fictional board names -- or who lists only legitimate BBSs --
may be denied access.
The sysop's users provide his warez, and the sysop is a direct beneficiary.
Like a golden goose, a single program keeps giving and giving. One user
paid for it once, but the sysop can distribute it to other users in trade
for additional warez or money again and again. The current callers spread
the word about the BBS's offerings to others, thus increasing the number of
users frequenting the board and providing uploads. Some boards encourage
this by offering download credit for user referrals.
While operating a BBS is the least labor-intensive way to accumulate warez,
it may not be the most efficient way to make money. After all, there's a
whole market of non-modem users out there just waiting to be tapped. For a
tidy fee, sysops may sell copies of their warez via mail order; through
schemes like these, users can obtain pirated software without the costs of
a high-speed modem and long-distance calls and the pressures of the
upload/download ratio.
3. Paranoia Strikes Deep
All BBS sysops, even the most responsible, put themselves at some risk of
legal complications due to messages, e-mail, and files posted by users. It
takes a special motivation for a sysop to actually promote and encourage an
illegal activity which increases his risk and liability. For some, money
or software may be sufficient motivation. Others may make up for social
inadequacy in their offline lives by taking a leadership role online. And
many of these seem to enjoy the power they have over their users. Like
schoolyard bullies, they control and police their turf with heavy-handed
threats and zero-tolerance judgments, all with the protection afforded by
their anonymity. On their own BBSs, they call the shots -- and no caller
can challenge them on that.
~ """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~
~ " Happy Hideaway BBS is protected under the " ~
~ " FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS ACT of 1986 " ~
~ """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ~
~ Duplication, Re-transmission, or Distribution of any ~
~ part(s) of this BBS is forbidden without the expressed ~
~ written permission of the sysops. ~
--Happy Hideaway BBS
~ Re-transmission of material from this BBS is strictly ~
~ forbidden without written permission of the Sysop(s)!!! ~
-- The Ghetto! BBS
Some sysops are very protective of their warez. They want their boards to
be the best, to have the most highly-prized files, to attract the greatest
number of active users. The sysop may claim that his board is protected by
international copyright laws; that is, he has a copyright on the
_collection_ and he has a right to control the distribution of any part of
it. A user may download from his BBS, but he'd better not find that user
uploading the same program to a competitor. In other words, the sysop
contends that he has exclusive rights to the black-market product!
~ "I agree with these conditions, and I am not a ~
~ member/employee of ANY authority like the Police, or ~
~ anything like that, nor am I an employee of ANY type of ~
~ non-public domain software company, Telephone company ~
~ security or some anti-software piracy organization. I ~
~ hereby legally bind myself to this, by answering YES ~
~ in [sic] at the prompt". ~
-- The Ghetto! BBS
~ This BBS is a PRIVATE SYSTEM. Only private citizens ~
~ who are not involved in government or law enforcement ~
~ activities are authorized to use it...access to this ~
~ system by ANY law enforcement agency ( Federal, State, ~
~ Local or other), software company, telephone company, ~
~ government agency, or anyone affiliated with the above ~
~ is not allowed. ~
--London Smog BBS
~ Are you registering on this BBS with the sole purpose ~
~ of entrapping or aiding in the entrapment of the SysOp? ~
-- DarkWorld BBS
~ "I am not part of ANY law enforcement agency or an ~
~ employer/employee of any NON-Public Domain software ~
~ company, or software publisher." ~
~ ******************************************************** ~
~ * By typing YES at the PASSWORD prompt you LEGALLY * ~
~ * BIND yourself to the provisions listed above. * ~
~ ******************************************************** ~
-- Outer Region BBS
Sysops are well aware of the illegal nature of their activity, and they may
go to great lengths to protect themselves from legal action. Most boards
post disclaimers about the sysop's responsibility for the activities which
take place there. Others try to compromise the submissability of legal
evidence by requiring investigators to reveal themselves.
~ You have failed to answer a security validation ~
~ question properly. ~
--Paris BBS
In the midst of such paranoia, it's not surprising that most pirate BBS
callers and sysops use pseudonyms. Frequently a user goes by the same
pseudonym on every board he calls so that his online friends can identify
him, send him e-mail, etc. We've identified many pseudonym-users in spite
of their attempts to hide their identity. Here are a few examples of the
thousands of aliases used by callers on pirate boards. They know who they
are. And you may be surprised to find that _you_ know who they are, too:
RAHMAN Clockwork Orange Stsoft
Elof Zaphod Beeblebrox Troed
Hack-Hack KG mr.fly/ics
Looms Hanzon Horizon Sparky
Yellow Lightning PAK slash/ics
The Piper The Parsec The Shamus
Mouse Master Overlord RoadKill
The Missing Link Nightmare Deadhead Ed
Little Flea the threat/ics jpc/ics
belgarion/ics Disease Factory Frosty
Sledge Archiver Spy Guy
Traveler The Dragon Lord Frogger
Shadow Skinhead rhys/ics
Sparky KRS-ONE Ice Pirate
Clueman Arthur Dent DANE
Goat Slayer Norstar Speed Demon
Time Warp Snow Queen Mr.terry
Who are the people who go by these aliases? Who calls pirate BBSs and who
runs them? A 16-year-old high school junior whose supply of British games
multiplied out of control when he added a high-speed modem to his system?
Yes. A 32-year-old father of two who in all other ways is the very model
of integrity? Yes. The good old boys who bring crates of software to swap
at your users group meeting? You know it! A 50-year-old con artist who
makes thousands of unreported (i.e., tax-free) dollars every year by
convincing others to give him programs to sell? Absolutely.
Several hundred software thieves are so active and on so many BBSs that
it's hard to imagine that they have time for anything else. The thousands
of more casual pirates may have access to only a few boards and call only a
few times a month. And whether a specific pirate BBS has 50 regular users
or 500, its phone lines are constantly busy.
4. Organized Crime
As with other criminal activity, the big players in software theft have
formed alliances to share files, blacklists, message networks, and other
information. There are dozens of these organizations, some international
in scope. For example, The Elite, with world headquarters in the
Netherlands, is headquartered here by the Outer Region BBS in Colorado and
Dragon's Pub in Quebec. The Syndicate (TSC) has representative BBSs on
three continents and in both hemispheres; the Happy Hideaway in Florida
serves as its Eastern US headquarters and Outer Region as its Western base,
while the Shire BBS in Chile and the Eagles Nest and Slime City BBSs in
Sweden provide an international link.
Cracking organizations are devoted expressly to undermining copy-protection
and registration strategies used in commercial programs. Outer Planes in
Ohio is the world headquarters for the cracking ring known as CyniX.
STampede, in Plant City Florida, is the International Cracking Society's
(ICS) US headquarters and features its cracked warez, but these rapidly
spread to other BBSs across the country and so can be found on many other
boards as well. Cracking rings are often multi-platform in scope;
individual crackers will work on getting around the copy-protection on the
platform of their choice. They'll share cracking tips with and seek advice
from ring members working on other platforms. The Pompey Pirates cracking
ring, headquartered on the Paris BBS in New York City, reportedly has just
one cracker, who goes by the name of Alien, working routinely on the ST,
while cracking rings like ICS include many ST enthusiasts.
ICS, MCA, Section 1, CyniX, and other crackers are very well-connected,
using ultra-high-speed modems and multi-frequency dialers to call all over
the world without long distance fees. It's not unusual to find a cracker
from one ring visiting the headquarters of another and sharing warez.
Cracking rings compete vigorously for the first crack of "0 day warez"
(brand new releases), for the most successful crack, for the toughest,
etc.
Pirate boards have aligned themselves with legitimate networks as well.
Many of the BBSs on which we discovered commercial files areas are linked
to the F-Net -- and, of course, so are plenty of responsible BBSs. For
example, according to a CrossNet Conference Node Listing, The Time Warp BBS
(F-Net node 99) serves as the lead node for the "Elite Underground" F-Net
conference, which also includes Starlight BBS (node 287), Darkworld BBS
(node 305), Outer Region BBS (node 469), Steal Your Face (node 489), Outer
Planes (node 558), Gold Nugget BBS (node 622), London Smog BBS (node 632),
Million Dollar Saloon (node 639), Speedy's Raceway (node 689) and H.B. Smog
(node 712). According to another CrossNet Conference Node Listing, The
Gold Nugget serves as the lead node for The "Pompey Pirates Elite" (not
directly associated with the Pompey Pirates cracking ring mentioned above)
F-Net conference; The Prairie Chip II BBS (node 45), The Blackhole (node
612), The Temple of Doom (node 595), and Spider-man's Web (node 711) are
among the 9 BBSs involved in this conference. The "Upper Echelon" F-Net
conference ties US and Canadian boards by serving callers on the Gold
Nugget in Ohio, Steal Your Face in New Jersey, Space Station BBS (node 248)
and London Smog in California, Million Dollar Saloon in Texas, Paybax BBS
(node 307) in Delaware, and Aardvarks from Mars (node 38) and Dragon's Lair
(node 87) in Ontario.
Conferences of this kind allow pirates from great distances to "get to
know" each other, to exchange files as well as messages, to solicit calls
to their favorite BBSs. Participation in these conferences establishes an
online identity; a pirate recognized from his posts on one node of a
conference is likely to be accepted without question when logging on as a
new user on another node in the same conference.
There are also smaller F-Net-related conferences for pirating discussions.
For example, according to a CrossNet Conference Node Listing, a Local Area
Private Elite Conference with a lead node at the Outer Region links with
three other BBSs in Colorado, including RingWorld (node 643), The Grave
Diggers Tomb (node 186), and BILINE BBS (node 423). Outer Planes is the
lead node for the 4-node "Console" conference, a message thread devoted to
topics related to pirating SNES and other game console warez.
5. Ill-Begotten Goods, Fawlty Filez...
Pirating hurts the entire ST community by discouraging third-party
development, closing down dealerships, and raising software prices. But is
it a "good deal", at least in the short run, for the pirates themselves?
Let's ask 'em:
~ Mock me not! Civilisation is great.. Except it is ~
~ cracked poorly...Can't win with the Cynix crack... ~
--Mark Anthony on Outer Planes BBS
~ ...ok, then how do you save????? I love this game, but ~
~ I don't know how to save it.. ahhh ~
--The Conjurer on Outer Planes BBS
~ Bad news... using UVK, just found out that the disk has ~
~ a VIRUS on it called the 'DIRECTORY WASTER'. After ~
~ twenty copies of it are made, it wipes out your disk. ~
~ Use UVK to kill the virus, and be careful with swapping ~
~ disks around this one. ~
--Sparky on Outer Planes BBS
~ Has anyone set up Speedo GDOS , I seam [sic] to run ~
~ into probles .. [sic] ~
--The Mixer on Time Warp BBS
~ Can someone please send me a working ASCII import ~
~ module for pagestream. I cant seem to get TEXT files ~
~ to import correctly. Either the text doesnt [sic] ~
~ fill the full width of the screen or I get no ~
~ paragraphs(ALL run together) ~
--Red Dragon on Time Warp BBS
~ Has anyone got it to work? I tried to get it to run on ~
~ a Floppy based 520ST (1meg) and on my TT030 and on both ~
~ I got 4 bombs! ~
--The Parsec on Rats Nest BBS
~ Has anyone gotten this to load? My install disk just ~
~ freezes. Any ideas? ~
--Bullshot Xxx on the F-Net, Upper Echelon Conference
~ ...my UTIL_2.PRG doesn't work, it was corrupt in the ~
~ original download... ~
--Jason Elite on the F-Net, Upper Echelon Conference
~ For some reason I can't get other vers. of TOS to boot ~
~ from the HD without sticking a disk in with the HD boot ~
~ in the Auto folder. ANYONE know how I can get TOS 1.4 ~
~ and 1.0 to off the HD and recognize the hard drive ~
~ without sticking a disk in?...It's just a hastle [sic] ~
~ to use the Hard Drive when you have to boot from disk ~
~ first... ~
--Ice Pirate on Rats Nest BBS
~ I have the two lharc's of Epic, and after lharc, they ~
~ come out to 900+K MSA files... Well, MSA won't format ~
~ a disk large enough to put them on.. What kind of ~
~ formatting program can I use to format my disks that ~
~ large.. Or can I? ~
--Cronos on Fawlty Towers BBS
~ I was wondering if anyone else has been messing with ~
~ the latest Cubase 3 crack. I've had some success and ~
~ have even used the SMPTE options via my C-Lab ~
~ Unitor-N box, but when I try to use the "edit" functions ~
~ more than a few times (sometimes even the first try), ~
~ I get an "Internal Error" message and the program locks. ~
--MIDIMUCK on Fawlty Towers BBS
~ I wouldn't use it if your [sic] working on a paying gig, ~
~ Just cause It's unreliable, especially when in SMPTE lock. ~
~ I've had this same problem recently, I ended up x-fering ~
~ the stuff over to another sequencer. ~
--KG on Fawlty Towers BBS, replying to MIDIMUCK about the
cracked version of Cubase 3
~ Yes, there are 2 different cracks of version 3.x, none ~
~ of them working properly. The best Cubase crack I know ~
~ is version 2. I heard though that it gives problems ~
~ when you use Midiex... ~
--X-tian on Fawlty Towers BBS
~ yeah, I would [sic] do any real work on it. I lost 2 ~
~ songs with it. ~
--KG on STampede BBS, replying to a message about a
cracked version of Cubase
~ Has anybody had a problem with the Cynix crack of ~
~ Frankenstein? I haven't been able to get it to work on ~
~ either of my computers. It bombs badly. ~
--PAK on STampede BBS
~ I've been having problems with some files I D/Led ~
~ (Ultima 6 is flaky and Lost Vikings doesn't work at ~
~ all). ~
--Nostrildomus on STampede BBS
~ I sure wouldn't even attempt any 'serious' work project ~
~ with that 'crack'... ~
--Sparky on STampede BBS
~ Do you have a version of NEW ZEALAND STORY which works ~
~ past the first city? ~
--The Shamus on STampede BBS
~ HEY!! Will someone PLEASE UPLOAD a FULLY working version ~
~ for KOBOLD 2 I've had so many different version from ~
~ different people and they are ALL bad !!! ~
--Sidewinder on Outer Region BBS
~ I have an elite copy of Calligrapher and it doesn't ~
~ support ASCII text files, so you can only work with ~
~ .CAL files (files made by Calligrapher) Also it doesn't ~
~ have keyboard equivalents (a pain) ~
--Frogger on the F-Net, Elite Underground Conference
Pirates aren't entitled to support from commercial developers and are often
working without any documentation, so they are very likely to encounter
problems with their warez.
The real version of Calligrapher, for example, has several import and
export options, including ASCII. It has configurable keyboard commands.
Frogger's version might have been hacked in a way which destroyed these
capabilities, or he simply might not know how to take advantage of them
because he has no documentation or support.
When pirates spread disinformation about the warez they use, people may
think they are speaking out of knowledge of the actual commercial release.
In this way, a pirate's ill-informed comments about products can discourage
sales to others.
The software they use -- like the sysops and other pirates with whom they
associate -- cannot be trusted. Cracked software is prone to be flakey.
And the same type of people who think it's acceptable to crack and steal
software are also the type who write viruses and unleash them on others, so
even files which haven't been cracked must be viewed with suspicion.
In addition to the fear of loss of access, the pressure to upload or pay,
lack of official and informed support, an online environment of suspicion
and paranoia, and abandonment of ethical principles, pirates must also
contend with software that is unreliable and potentially dangerous. The
pirate pays a heavy price. Pirated software is _not_ free -- for anybody.
6. Phreaking, Copyright Infringement, Pornography, and the Law
The users pay the sysop of a pirate board, either by sending a check for
greater access or by offering up files they've purchased in exchange (or
both). Heavy users must invest in expensive hardware, such as high-speed
modems. And for many callers, there's a long-distance charge.
~ If any of the USA callers has MCI you can put this bbs ~
~ on you [sic] Friends and Family list and save yourself ~
~ about 3 cents a minute. Just say that the phone number ~
~ is for a data line and they usually don't ask anymore ~
~ questions. ~
-- PAK on STampede BBS
~ ...there are high speed users around, and considering ~
~ other really good Atari boards are out of state, $.25 ~
~ per call is as cheap as anyone could ask for. I'm ~
~ starting to think "elite" is dead in the Tampa area, ~
~ as far as Atari is conserned [sic]. ~
--PAK on Master Lazarus BBS, explaining the poor
attendance rates by local pirates on local BBSs
~ Wanted... original suppliers ~
~ graphic artists ~
~ another support bbs ~
~ calling card suppliers ~
--Quattro of the CyniX cracking ring on the F-Net,
Elite Underground Conference
~ When I hit a special key, my Bluebox plays a little ~
~ melody..... ~
-- STampede BBS
~ I call the whole world for the same price. ~
-- Troed on Rats Nest BBS
Not all those living far from a BBS pay long distance charges, however.
Some boards share calling card numbers (belonging to innocent victims,
presumably) so that the phone company will charge the users' calls to
someone else. Sometimes users as far away as Chile or Sweden manage to
make calls at no cost by fooling and defrauding their long distance
carriers. In the old days (defined here as the 70's), this was achieved by
building a "bluebox" and installing it in one's phone line. Today, it's
easily done in software. The caller's ST simulates the tones recognized by
the telephone system. Calls are routed all over the world and back,
typically through South America, in order to confuse the system and avoid
detection. This activity is just as illegal as copyright infringement, and
it's also better understood as a crime by police. Many times a pirate
board is closed down not because of the illegal transfer of software, but
rather because information on blueboxes was available for download.
~ Word is around town that there are feds looking for ~
~ Pirate BBS's. I know weather to belive [sic] it but ~
~ it could be time for another big bust like there was ~
~ four years ago. Supposedly a Big BBS in OHIO just got ~
~ nailed real bad!. Freaky as hell. ~
--Mind Eye on Thieves Guild BBS
There are, in fact, many approaches to shutting down pirate boards.
Copyright infringement is one obvious track. The Software Publishers
Association is a watchdog agency which works with the FBI to shut down
large-scale BBS operations. There are legal departments at major computer,
game machine, and software companies devoting time and effort to this task.
There's the IRS connection for unreported caller "donations". Some boards
come down because of the availability of pornography. There are a variety
of criminal laws related to activities common on pirate boards, and,
especially in cases of copyright infringement, civil law may offer the most
effective route to compensation for the victims.
When a board is busted by the authorities, the related equipment and
property is usually seized. Any records of callers, caller donations,
etc., are seized along with that equipment. Callers could be charged with
conspiracy. For this reason, it's not wise to have one's real name,
address, and real phone show up in the records of a pirate board, even
though the sysop adamantly insists upon it and uses verification checks to
enforce it...
7. Spotting a Pirate Board
~ Many people may not realize that software pirates cause ~
~ prices to be much higher, in part, to make up for ~
~ publisher losses from piracy. In addition, they ruin ~
~ the reputation of the hundreds of legitimate bulletin ~
~ boards that serve an important function for computer ~
~ users. ~
--Ken Wasch, Executive Director of the SPA, as quoted in
STR #915
I recently logged on to the Polish Hideout BBS in Southern Illinois. What
a contrast it presented to the pirate boards I've been investigating! The
questionnaire asked only for my name, contact information, and type of
computer. Validation was immediate and I was granted access to all message
bases and file areas on that very first call! I wasn't under any
obligation to upload before downloading. There was no pressure to
compromise my principals nor temptation to indulge in criminal activity.
The messages from the sysop were friendly and inviting. The Polish Hideout
is _not_ a pirate BBS.
It can be tough to differentiate a pirate board from a legitimate one if
one has not been granted access to the elite areas. Sometimes non-elite
discussion or file areas can provide hints, but it's not sure-fire. For
example, although many pirate boards can boast of extensive pornography
collections, some BBS sysops who wouldn't tolerate commercial files will
nevertheless offer pornography; the existence of pornographic files does
not in and of itself indicate a pirate board or clientele. Even the
existence of an isolated commercial file in the downloads is not evidence
of intentional piracy. From time to time, every BBS receives a commercial
upload or two; sometimes the sysop overlooks the file or doesn't recognize
it as commercial and leaves it in the download area. Such oversights and
accidents do not even remotely correspond to the kinds of activity we have
encountered on BBSs where software theft is encouraged.
A typical pirate board includes a highly aggressive (and often hostile and
suspicious) new user questionnaire. It is often necessary to provide
referrals of some kind, and the questions are likely to assume dishonesty
on the part of the new user. Pirates, as a rule, are not nice guys, and
the new user is usually made to feel very uncomfortable. The new user may
be required to "sign" disclaimers. The Other BBS list is likely to include
some other pirate boards. If the users adopt the lexicon of piracy
("elite", "warez", "philez", etc.), If ThErE aRe LoTs Of PhRaSeS wRiTtEn
LiKe ThIs, if the board associates itself with a pirate syndicate or
network, if it has numerous known pirates as callers, if there is
aggressive insistence on the maintenance of download/upload ratios, if
deadbeats are threatened with loss of access, if phreaking files are
available online, chances are very good that the caller has stumbled onto a
pirate BBS.
There are legitimate reasons why a BBS sysop might want accurate contact
information from his callers. There are also good reasons in many cases
for offering a few private file and message areas. Most BBSs, pirate and
legitimate, require validation, usually by phoning the caller's number.
Such features are not unusual, but if combined with heavy-handed warnings
and threats, they tip the user off to the nature of the board. It should
be noted that legitimate pd/shareware BBSs far outnumber the pirate boards.
The confusion between the two is most unfortunate.
~ I...have callers uploading commercial software and ~
~ giving me a hard time because I don't have an "elite" ~
~ area, even though they see a message when they log on ~
~ as a new caller that this board does not support ~
~ piracy...It's a _risk_ to run a BBS, and not many ways ~
~ to protect the investment. ~
--sysop of a legitimate BBS
If a board you call has an occasional commercial file, be sure to point it
out to the sysop for his own protection; a responsible sysop will avoid
commercial offerings. PD/shareware BBSs perform a much-needed service in
supporting our Atari community; the IAAD applauds and encourages this
effort.
If you suspect -- or _know_ -- that a board you call offers numerous
commercial files, however, please bring it to the attention of the IAAD
(online addresses are available at the end of this article). Your
anonymity is assured. We are already intimately familiar with dozens of
boards, but additional information is always welcome.
8. The Moral Toll: As the Twig is Bent...
~ Right and wrong now seem the same ~
-- Rats Nest
As a parent, I'm concerned about the numbers of young people logged on to
pirate boards. These kids put themselves in a very vulnerable position.
In earning their right to download, young callers are implicated in the
illegal activity. The adults who run and participate on these boards set
an example which could, by extension, lead to ignoring the laws which
govern other areas of their lives. Do these kids also shoplift, steal from
other kids' lockers, buy termpapers to submit as their own? Children learn
to run and to use pirate boards from adults whose character is questionable
by definition. When a child has such a sysop as a role model, what does
that spell for his future?
Like the proverbial stranger who offers candy, these criminals lure
teenagers and young adults with promises of free software in exchange for
their services. The service, of course, is to provide more free software
-- which the sysop can then use to lure more callers and to keep his
current clientele calling back. The first step is to inspire fear; this is
achieved right off the bat with a new user questionnaire threatening denial
of access if caller doesn't provide just the right answers. And the second
is to force the caller to incriminate himself with his initial upload.
Once the kid begins downloading and playing commercial games he could never
afford to buy, the pressure cycle of upload/download counts begins.
~ GENESIS COPIER (super magic drive) ~
~ My son is selling his copier for the Genesis for: ~
~ $275.00 That includes the copier, drive and power ~
~ supply. ~
--Little Lulu on the F-Net, Pompey Pirates Elite
Conference
While many of the software thieves we've encountered are young, in their
teens and early twenties, others are old enough to be parents (or even
grandparents!). Few pirate boards have an "educational warez" category in
their files areas, so my own products are rarely found, but parents do
download plenty of games. I wonder about the children who use the programs
that Dad or Mom has stolen. Do they know that the program could be
purchased with a manual? Do they learn about hidden features from friends
who have the real thing and then wonder why their parents never told them
they could do that? If and when these children do learn that Dad has
stolen some software they've enjoyed, do they respect and trust their
father less -- or do they simply adopt his dishonest character as their
own?
~ Pirating is dishonest. Honorable people don't do ~
~ dishonest things. If you want to publicly proclaim your ~
~ untrustworthyness [sic], go right ahead. But don't ~
~ expect anyone to ever trust you. Or respect _your_ ~
~ rights. ~
-- Myeck Waters, responding to a pro-piracy post on the
F-Net, STReport Conference
~ BYE! (Click) ~
~ NO CARRIER ~
-- Computer Connection
_________________
The author takes no responsibility for errors in spelling, punctuation,
judgment, or logic in quotations; these are reprinted as written.
Copyright 1993 by D.A. Brumleve
This file may be transmitted only in its entirety, with all portions
unedited and intact. The author reserves _all_ rights regarding
distribution and republication, with the exception that this file may be
posted in its entirety and without additions on BBSs everywhere, especially
on pirate boards. If you find it already posted on your local pirate
board, please upload a second copy, and a third...
Editors and others wishing to republish this article are advised to contact
the IAAD and the author on the major online services:
GEnie: PERMIT$
CIS:76004,3655
Delphi:DABRUMLEVE
The IAAD welcomes tips about pirate activity. Please contact us at the
online addresses listed above.
___________________________________________________________________
> PIRACY & WHAT'S BEING DONE! STR FOCUS! A Comprehensive look at the Report
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PIRACY IN THE ATARI COMMUNITY
WHAT'S BEING DONE TO
COMBAT THIS ONGOING TRAVESTY?
part I
by Dana P. Jacobson
Piracy, the illegal transmission and/or possession of copyrighted
software, continues to be a major problem in today's computer marketplace.
It's a subject which appears to come up rarely these days, an almost taboo
subject. On occasion, one can read a message thread or two on various
online services and our local bulletin boards about the subject, but the
discussion soon dies out as quickly as it appears.
Until fairly recently, there was little that could be done without
major effort by developers and software houses. In the Atari community,
with the market being so small, it's been really difficult to make an
all-out effort to eradicate this disease; or to even make a dent in it.
Atari people don't seem to have the resources to make such an effort.
Within the past year or so, the SPA (Software Publishers Association) has
made _some_ headway into this problem. Within the past few months,
STReport has reported numerous BBSs and businesses charged with piracy and
copyright infringement. Loss of software and hardware, along with heavy
fines have been the penalty - rightfully so. But still, piracy continues.
Is anything _seriously_ being done about it by people who _can_ help make a
difference? The answer, finally, is yes!
A few weeks ago, while perusing messages that I downloaded from
STReport's support BBS, "The Bounty", I came across a few messages from an
(alleged) Atari user/developer from Australia (or was it the U.K.?). He(?)
made a number of comments in which he blatantly admitted to using pirated
copies of software in a manner to "justify" a "Try before you buy"
mentality. He also used many other rationalizations to justify his "right"
to pirate software. It's been a long time since I've seen such open and
blatant pro-piracy messages, that I had to respond. What I got in return
was more "justification" for piracy. After a few rounds of message
replies, I knew it was pointless to keep at it.
Ironically, I received an E-Mail message from Dorothy Brumleve,
president of the IAAD, a few days later. She happened to see the message
thread via the FNET, and commented on the exchange of messages. Little did
I know at the time, that she and the rest of the IAAD members were in the
process of investigating the problems of piracy in our Atari community.
Early on last week, Dorothy posted an article describing some of the
results of the IAAD's ongoing investigation. As a long-time Atari user
_and_ the SysOp of my own legitimate BBS, I was floored at the findings!
Not only was the information gathered done in so little time, but so
easily. I've come across occasional pirated software on a few boards I've
encountered over the years, and I've experienced pirated programs being
uploaded to my own board at times; but never anything to the degree in
which I saw presented in that article! This was something that I had only
imagined happening, and unchecked.
I had always thought that it was bad enough that Atari developers and
dealers were falling by the wayside due to problems with Atari supporting
our community. With little new software and hardware being produced, it's
difficult for our remaining developer and dealer base to keep supporting
the Atari platform. But, I now also see that piracy also plays a _major_
factor in dwindling sales. We may not be able to play a major role in
changing Atari's habits, but we can certainly do our share in helping our
Atari developers lessen some of the damage caused by piracy!
We at STReport applaud the recent efforts by the IAAD to take a stand
and make a strong effort to eradicate our community of this disease. We
applaud the IAAD for making us aware that the problem still exists, and
that this is something that we _all_ need to realize is a problem needing
support. In the next few issues, we'll bring you portions of the IAAD
article by Dorothy Brumleve, along with commentary, suggestions, and
support. We suggest that you _all_ read this IAAD article (called
PIR_BBS.ASC) and then read it again. Piracy affects us all, in one form or
another. You may not see it obviously, but it does. We'll discuss these
and other factors along the way.
Because of the length (read comprehensive) of Dorothy Brumleve's
article, I'm only going to include excerpts throughout this series of
articles appearing in these pages. Anything that you see _without_ a
reference marker means I'm directly quoting from Dorothy's article. Any of
my comments, etc. will be "blocked" in asterisks (***) for clarity. We'll
start with Dorothy's introduction to the article:
This article is the result of contributions by people from every facet of
the Atari community. Many thanks to all the users, developers, sysops, and
others who provided the investigators with information and assistance.
[Note: Stand-alone quotations are framed on the left and right by
the "~" character.]
Small Developers, Big Business
How Pirate BBSs Impact on the Entire Atari Community
by D.A. Brumleve, President, IAAD
Copyright 1993 by D.A. Brumleve
The Independent Association of Atari Developers represents over sixty
companies supporting the Atari ST platform with commercial software and
hardware. Now and then a "pirate" BBS will come to our members' attention.
We'll capture the file areas and study them. We'll cringe at the download
counts and growl at the messages about our products. We'll download copies
of our products and trace the original owner. Sometimes we'll even file
a police report, but the pirate board stays up and callers keep calling,
downloading, and uploading our programs.
***
Listed in the above article is just a small portion of what Dorothy
stated was a "sampling" of files found on the few BBSs she listed in her
article. The investigation includes a much wider assortment of files and
pirate systems. From just the above, it's obvious to everyone that the
severity of this problem exists. Just these files above constitute
thousands of dollars of lost revenue for all our dealers and developers!!
Also, before anyone comes out and says what I know many are thinking, yes,
this is just an ASCII listing of files. We all know that such lists can be
created and modified to typify a download listing from any BBS. A captured
list such as this, by itself, has little chance of leading to prosecution.
But, the IAAD investigators followed through on these listings and
_downloaded_ and _verified_ that the files exist. The IAAD is going all
out to put these pirate boards out of business!!
***
The IAAD's membership total fluctuates, but right now we are holding steady
around the 60-member mark. Products owned or distributed by nearly every
single member were found on one BBS or another during our investigation;
some of our members were victimized by every pirate board we called.
~ It was bad enough to discover Calamus SL on just ~
~ about every single "pirate" board that was ~
~ investigated; it was worse to discover a program ~
~ written specifically to strip out our serialization. ~
~ But the real kicker was to discover our entire 600- ~
~ page manual available for downloading in ASCII. The ~
~ people that run these boards are criminals and deserve ~
~ to be put in jail. Their "customers", those that ~
~ frequent these boards, are, at best, petty thieves. ~
~ What disgusts me the most is how many of these ~
~ "customers" would never consider themselves thieves ~
~ even though they are stealing from me, from my family, ~
~ from my company, and from the Atari community at large. ~
--Nathan Potechin of DMC
Since the manuals for such extensive programs are truly required in order
to make good use of the product, software thieves will actually go to the
trouble of typing them in or copying them with OCR software (which is also
conveniently available on these BBSs). Even when a manual is
indispensable, the software pirate may have no need to actually purchase
the program in order to make full use of it.
***
Truer words were never spoken. We can blame anyone we wish for the
dismal status of today's Atari market, but in no way does piracy justify
making things worse. People need to realize that piracy is _not_ an
acceptable mode of behavior, no matter how secretive it stays in the
background. Piracy needs to be fully exposed whenever and wherever it
occurs, and those involved be made to make amends.
***
This is the first of an ongoing series of articles. Next week we'll
include more of the IAAD article and comments from the STReport staff, and
hopefully, from some of our readers. STReport will do whatever it can to
help support this investigation and educate the Atari community of this
immense problem.
_____________________________________________________________
> BLUE RIDGE ATARIFEST'93 STR SHOW NEWS "The Summertime Atari Event!"
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
1993 Blue Ridge ATARIFEST
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusiasts (BRACE) and Computer Studio
invite you to participate in the Fourth Annual Blue Ridge AtariFest in
beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. Show dates and times are:
Saturday July 24, 1993 10am - 6pm
Sunday July 25, 1993 Noon - 5pm
Just as in previous years, we have arranged for FREE Booth space for Atari
developers!! (We're only requesting the donation of a door prize).
We can promise both developers and show-goers an energetic and exciting
show with as enthusiastic a crowd of Atarians as you'll find anywhere, plus
the support of Computer Studio in the mall.
We're once again taking over the Courtyard Shop (mall) area at Westgate
Shopping Center for the show (location of Computer Studio), plus the use of
vacant store spaces for seminar sessions. Seminar sessions will be 45
minutes in length, and developers are welcome to conduct a seminar on their
product line or approved topic of their choice (seminar sessions are
limited, so first come, first served).
This year's show dates also coincide with Asheville's annual Bele Chere
street festival, when downtown Asheville is closed to vehicular traffic and
becomes what must be one of the largest street fairs in the country.
Westgate Shopping Center is one of the primary Park-and-Ride shuttle
centers for transporting people to and from downtown, and we've arranged to
have the shuttle service pick up at the front entrance of the mall and drop
off at the rear entrance, so everyone taking the service from Westgate WILL
walk through the AtariFest exhibition area sometime during the day. This
will be a great opportunity to showcase Atari and Atari related software
and peripherals, and introduce them to people who aren't already Atari
owners. Bringing in NEW blood is the key to the growth of this platform,
and this will be our opportunity to begin that process with a captive
audience.
Additional discussions of the show, as well as confirmations of your
participation, are welcome in GEnieMail and in the Blue Ridge
AtariFest topic 13 in Category 11 here on GEnie.
HOPING TO HEAR FROM YOU SOON.
HAPPY ATARI COMPUTING.
IT'S HAPPENING IN ASHEVILLE!
Where: Westgate Shopping Center - Asheville, N.C.
Take any major highway into Asheville (US 19-23, US 26 or I-40) to the
I-240 loop, then take the "Westgate/Hilton Inn Drive exit" into the
Westgate Shopping Center parking lot.
When: 24-25, July 1993
Time: 10:am to 6:pm SAT
12 Noon 'til 5pm SUN
Points of contact:
Come for a day or come for the weekend,
but do come and enjoy yourself.
Great Smokies Hilton Resort Hilton Inn Drive (704)254-3211
Toll-free reservation phone number 1-800-733-3211
Radisson One Thomas Wolf Plaza (704)252-8211
Rate: $62.00 per room (1-4 people)
====== Additional Hotel / Motel Information ===========
Days Inn I-26 and Airport Road (704)684-2281
I-40 Exit 55 (704)298-5140
Econo Lodge US 70 East, I-40 Exit 55 (704)298-5519
Holiday Inn 275 Smoky Park Hwy (704)667-4501
Toll-free reservation phone number 1-800-HOLIDAY
Red Roof Inn I-40 and US 19-23 Exit 44 (704)667-9803
Toll-free reservation phone number 1-800-843-7663
Budget Motel I-40 Exit 44 (Enka-Chandler)
West Asheville Exit (704)665-2100 Best
Western Asheville Central 22 Woodfin St (704)253-1851
========= Local Bed & Breakfast lodging Information =========
Aberdeen Inn 64 Linden Ave (704)254-9336
Albemarle Inn 86 Edgemont Road (704)255-0027
Applewood Manor 62 Cumberland Circle (704)254-2244
The Bridle Path Inn Lockout Road (704)252-0035
Cairn Brae B & B 217 Patton Mountain Rd (704)252-9219
Carolina B & B 177 Cumberland Ave (704)254-3608
Cedar Crest Victorian Inn 674 Biltmore Ave (704)252-1289
Corner Oak Manor 53 St. Dunstan (704)253-3525
Cornerstone Inn 230 Pearson Dr (704)253-5644
Flint Street Inn 100 & 116 Flint Street (704)253-6723
The Lion and The Rose 276 Montford Ave (704)255-7673
The Ray House B & B 83 Hillside St (704)252-0106
Reed House 119 Dodge St (704)274-1604
The Wright Inn 235 Pearson Drive (704)251-0789]
(1-800-552-5724)
A more complete listing of Bed & Breakfasts can be obtained through the
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Reservations should be made immediately, as July is the height of our
tourist season.
=========== CAMP GROUNDS ================
(reservations are a must during this time of season):
Mount Pisgah:
About 20 miles southwest of Asheville on the Blue Ridge Parkway at
mile post 408.6 (National Park Service). 690 acres. Elevation 5000'. One of
the nicest campgrounds in Western North Carolina. 67 tent sites, 70 RV
sites. For reservations: P.O.Box 749, Watnesville, N.C. 28786; phone (704)
235-9109. No showers. Groceries and restaurant. Nature program. 14 day
stay limit.
Lake Powhatan:
4 miles south of Asheville on State road 191, 3.5 miles west on SR
806. 30 acres. 98 tent/rv sites. Reservation available thru Mistix
1-800-283-CAMP. Disposal station. No showers. Swimming; lifeguard; fishing;
nature trails; bicycles. 14-day stay limit.
While in the area, you might want to consider a little sightseeing,
and include a visit to the Biltmore House here in Asheville (the largest
single family residence ever built in the U.S.--its a "castle"). A visit to
the Biltmore can be a full-day's activity as you will want to view the
house, visit the winery, and walk some of the grounds and gardens.
Hours:
The House 9 am to 6pm The Gardens 9am to 7pm
Conservatory 9am to 5:30pm
The Winery Monday-Saturday 11am to 7pm Sunday 1pm to 7pm
Other areas of interest include; the Thomas Wolf home (adjacent to the
Raddison), the Blue Ridge Parkway and Folk Art Center. A drive up the Blue
ridge Parkway to enjoy the higher elevations and incredible views of our
mountains. Perhaps a hike up to Mount Pisgah and look back down to
Asheville(you can see Mt. Pisgah from most anywhere in Asheville). A short
drive from Mt. Pisgah will take you to Sliding Rock (for those of you
travelling with kids who are still kids at heart), the Cradle of Forestry
(first forest school in the country), waterfalls, trout hatchery, etc. For
the adventurous, white water rafting on the Natahala River near Bryson
City (approx one and a half hours from here).
There's obviously loads more to see and do around Asheville (in
addition to the Blue Ridge AtariFest and a visit to Computer Studio :-). If
any of y'all would like maps and additional tourist info of the area I
might suggest contacting the Chamber of Commerce:
Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce
151 Haywood Street
P.O. Box 1010
Asheville, NC 28802
704-258-6111 FAX: (704)251-0926
___________________________________________________________________
> NVN WANTS YOU! STR InfoFile Another Network Supports Atari!
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NVN - THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK!
===============================
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===================
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--------------
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_______________________________________________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
"""""""""""""""""""""
- San Luis Obispo, CA FALCON TO SHARE STACY'S FATE?
-------------------
The discontinued Atari Stacy, the Laptop portable computer that was
built like a tank and weighed about the same, remember it? The Stacy was
predicted to set the Atari community on it's collective ear but never went
anywhere but to sleep. The Falcon is rumored to be sharing the same
respect (fate) as the Stacy from the "man at the very top". This is a hot
one just brought in this week. Seems the man has "lost faith" in the
falcon's ability to "resurrect the seriously ailing Phoenix". "This leaves
the man in charge of falcon acquisition and delivery with an empty
toolbox." Remarked STR's inside contact. "The people in this place walk
around like they're in shock, not knowing when they too, will have to hit
the bricks." Added the informant.
- New York City, NY NY DEALER GETS FALCON - NO MONITOR!
-----------------
This dealer asked to remain anonymous and for good reason, he cited
the amount of grief other dealers have suffered at the hands of the
vendetta prone few at the top at Atari. This dealer made mention of the
fact he got his Demo Falcon, but no Atari monitor to complete the display.
According to our sources, we told him we had heard, Atari is interested in
getting the Falcons out there and has pretty much curtailed all other
contract manufacturing in favor of the Falcon. That folks, is a nice way
of saying they are not making monitors any longer. At least for the
moment. After a long sigh, all he said was oh well....
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STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
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> A "Quotable Quote" "A sign of the times!"
"""""""""""""""""
"TELL 'EM ANYTHING YOU LIKE...
...AS LONG AS IT MAKES 'EM HAPPY!"
..Commander Blowhard Wheeze
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> DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings *
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ---------------
ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS
=========================
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672
Est. 1985
1-904-783-3319
ATARI-AMIGA-PC-CLONES-MAC
HARDWARE, SOFTWARE & SUPPLIES
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
COMPUTER STUDIO
===============
WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER
40 Westgate Parkway - Suite D
Asheville, NC 28806
1-800-253-0201
Orders Only
1-704-251-0201
Information
Authorized Atari Dealer
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MEGABYTE COMPUTERS
==================
907 Mebourne
Hurst, TX 76053
1-817-589-2950
Authorized Atari Dealer
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SAN JOSE COMPUTER
=================
1278 Alma Court
San Jose, CA. 95112
1-408-995-5080
Authorized Atari Dealer
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CompuSeller West
================
220-1/2 W. Main St.
St. Charles, IL., 60174
Ph. (708) 513-5220
Authorized Atari Dealer
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(DEALERS; to be listed here, please drop us a line.)
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STReport International Online Magazine
-* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" April 23, 1993
Since 1987 copyright (c) 1987-92 All Rights Reserved No.9.17
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of
the editors/staff of STReport International Online Magazine. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints
must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
number and the author's name. STReport and/or portions therein may not
be edited in any way without prior written permission. STReport, at the
time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STReport, its staff
and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible for the use or
misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom.
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-----------------------------------------
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