Atari Explorer Online: 15-May-93 #0210 (repost)
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 05/16/93-11:39:50 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: Atari Explorer Online: 15-May-93 #0210 (repost)
Date: Sun May 16 23:39:50 1993
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Volume 2 - Issue 10 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 15 May 1993 ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: ::
:: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI ::
:: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER ::
:: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE ::
:: ::
:: Published and Copyright (c) 1993 by Atari Corporation ::
:: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: Editor .................................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG ::
:: Assistant Editor GEnie................ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor CompuServe.......... Albert Dayes AEO.1 ::
:: Assistant Editor Delphi......... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 ::
:: News Editor ............................... Lyre AEO.3 ::
:: Editor-at-Large ..................... Ed Krimen AEO.5 ::
:: Hardware Editor .............. Britton Robbins AEO.4 ::
:: Internet Editor .................. Tim Wilson AEO.8 ::
:: Atari Artist ..... Peter Donoso & Fadi Hayek EXPLORER.2 ::
:: Curmudgeon-at-Large ........ Gregg Anderson AEO.7 ::
:: ::
:: Contributors ::
:: """""""""""" ::
:: Don Wilhelm ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: Editorial Advisory Board ::
:: """""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: President, Atari Corporation........................Sam Tramiel ::
:: Director of Application Software...................Bill Rehbock ::
:: Director, Computer Marketing ........................Don Thomas ::
:: Director of Communications...........................Bob Brodie ::
:: Corporate Director, International Music Markets....James Grunke ::
:: Atari Explorer Magazine............................Mike Lindsay ::
:: ::
:: Telecommunicated to you via: ::
:: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" ::
:: GEnie: AEO.MAG ::
:: CompuServe: 70007,3615 ::
:: Delphi: AEO_MAG ::
:: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 706 ::
:: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 ::
:: ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Table of Contents
* From the Editors .................................. Summer's heating up.
* IAAD Pirate BBS Update .................................................
* Dateline: Atari! ....................... Bob Brodie's May 7th GEnie RTC.
* Atari Artist ................................ Pete and Fadi fill you in
on Notator's Logic.
* Adventures of an Hardware Hacker - Part II ......... Overscan. How. Why.
* Atari Asylym ................... A Falcon030 made its way into Computer
STudio... Gregg runs some software and
shares his thoughts on the machine.
* Falcon030 User Sighting .......... A user's first look at the Falcon030.
* Civilization ............................ A hot new game for your Atari.
* News from Usenet ................. Tim's news and tidbits from Internet.
* PC Emulators ..................... Andreas has some pointers on turning
your Atari into a DOS box.
* GEnie News .......................... New files & happenings on Atari's
Official Online Resource.
* Developers' Press Releases ....................... SpeedoGDOS from Compo
ORA Announces TruePaint with SpeedoGDOS & Datalite
SGS's EMailman
North American GEM-View Distributor
MIDI Spy from CodeHead - This Time They Mean It
Lexicor Offers NOVA Video Card
* Shutdown ..................................................... Say What?
--==--==--==--==--
||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation
||| Travis Guy
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings, and welcome to another issue of Atari Explorer Online,
your biweekly guide to The World Atari.
Summer is a traditional slow growth time for the computer industry,
but Atari anticipates continued growth in Falcon030 sales throughout
the summer, and forsees massive improvement in late summer.
As of next week, another small shipment of Falcon030s are due in to
Atari Corp. (And another shipment is due a week after that.) After
going through a quick Customs and QA process, these machines will be
bound for customers' hands. It is expected by upper management that
production speed will start increasing, and we will start seeing
greater numbers of Falcon030s ship between late May and late June. By
that time, the numbers should be up to prior 1040 STe shipment levels.
Discussions are underway with a new distributor to pick up the
Falcon030. This distributor projects being able to sell Falcon030s
through hundreds of additional dealers, all of whom who will be
signing Atari ADAs. This, coupled with the dealers Atari currently
has, and with the dealers Atari is currently adding, bodes well for
putting Atari back on the map.
On to this issue....
Up first is a file released this week by the Independant Association
of Atari Developers with updates and corrections to their original
pirate BBS report. Like the original report, this is a must read for
all computer owners. Some of you may recall reading some of the
information in the new file in the last AEO - please excuse the
redundancy, and don't skip it. There is lots of new information that
you shouldn't miss.
Other items of note include:
Bob Brodie's GEnie Real Time Conference,
The third installment of Atari Artist,
Gregg Anderson's Atari Asylum debut,
A Falcon030 User Sighting,
A MicroProse Civilization Review,
And Several Interesting PRs.
Finally, I'd like to wish a safe journey out, and home again, to
Assistant Editor / Petty Officer Andreas Barbiero. Andreas has gone
to the Far East on Navy deployment for several months. When he
arrives on station and gets his system set up, he will be in contact
online to provide you with Atari news, and views on local brewing
techniques and customs. Andreas - take the long way home, and drop
those extra sonobuoys as per mission directives!
--==--==--==--==--
||| The IAAD Pirate BBS Investigation - An Update
||| Courtesy: The Independent Association of Atari Developers
/ | \ GEnie: PERMIT$ CIS: 76004,3655 Delphi: DABRUMLEVE
-------------------------------------------------------------------
////
//// Permission to reprint granted by D.A. Brumleve 04/29/93.
////
Update and Corrections to
The IAAD Report on Software Piracy
entitled
Small Developers, Big Business
How Pirate BBSs Impact on the Entire Atari Community
by D.A. Brumleve, President
Independent Association of Atari Developers
We want to thank the many people who have taken the time to write
or call with their support for the IAAD. It is most gratifying to
know that so many folks have appreciated our efforts. We have
received numerous additional tips and have passed these on to the
appropriate agencies.
Others have contacted us about errors in our report, and we'd like
to address some of those matters in this update.
A good starting point would be this statement in the report
regarding the Grave Diggers Tomb BBS:
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).
As indicated, this information was derived from the following
CrossNet Conference Node Listing posted on the lead node:
* * * CrossNet Conference Node Listing - as of 10/23/92 at 10:25 PM * * *
Conference: "Local Area Private Net" (11469)
Generated From "Lead" Node: 469 - > The Outer Region's # 469 <
No previous Node List generated by this "lead".
186 - Grave Diggers Tomb 423 - BILINE BBS
469 - > The Outer Region's # 469 < 643 - The Ringworld
The sysop of the Grave Diggers Tomb has contacted us concerning
an error in this listing. He reports that his BBS is not a
participant and that he has asked the sysop of the lead node to
remove his BBS from the Node List.
The IAAD regrets having perpetuated this error.
In his eleventh blue-boxed call to my number in the days following
the release of our report, Zaphod Beeblebrox, sysop of the Eagles
Nest BBS in Sweden, objected to the inclusion of the following
quotation:
~ Rats Nest always had some of the best stuff around... ~
--Zaphod Beeblebrox on Fawlty Towers BBS
Zaphod felt that the presentation of his quotation out of context
was misleading, and I apologize if anyone was misled. This item
was taken from a thread about the Rats Nest entitled: "Rats Nest
-- Anyone knows why it's down???" We had contacted the Rats Nest
sysop about our findings on his board some time ago, and the BBS
was down for over a week following our discussion with him. Rats
Nest and Fawlty Towers had many callers in common, so it's not
surprising that activities on one board might be discussed on
another.
Zaphod told me that, when he'd referred to the "best stuff" in
that thread, he didn't _mean_ commercial products. I admit I
can't read minds any better than the next guy. _I_ thought he was
referring to the elite files on the Rats Nest, and so _did_ the
next guy in the thread. The Parsec had responded to Zaphod's
remark by saying:
Message: = ST Elite = #98 of 100 [3 Lines]
||>> // Sent On: April 20, 1993 at 2:21am
||\\ \\ Sent By: The Parsec - Buy a TT!
\\// Sent To: Zaphod Beeblebrox - The Last Blueboxer!!!
ST Replies: None
Subject: Rats Nest - Anyone knows why it's down???
Yeah i called yesterday night and just now....no warez....
I wonder what the sitch is!
--The Parsec on Fawlty Towers BBS
We didn't print The Parsec's reply in our report. We also didn't
print the post by Zaphod which began the thread:
Message: = ST Elite = #89 of 100 [11 Lines]
||>> // Sent On: April 18, 1993 at 12:32am
||\\ \\ Sent By: Zaphod Beeblebrox - The Last Blueboxer!!!
\\// Sent To: The Piper - SysOp of Fawlty Towers!
ST Replies: 1
Subject: Rats Nest - Anyone knows why it's down???
Hey Piper, have you got any idea why Rats Nest is
down??? I heard some story about that somebody tried to
nail [sysop's name] for having pirated files on the
board, but that is all I got to hear, the next day Rats
Nest didn't answer anymore. If you do know anything about
this, please let me know, as I am getting a bit worried
about what is happening to [sysop's name]. And if they
have busted his board, then we should all be a great deal
more carefull [sic]...... I do hope that he is not
busted, but rather took the board down for a while just
to be on the safe side...
Greetz, Zaphod Beeblebrox of ICS and Control Team.
Eagles Nest BBS +46-18-XXXXXX - 285 Mb/14400 HST Dual - 24 Hours.
--Zaphod Beeblebrox on Fawlty Towers BBS
And we didn't print a suggestion for the Rats Nest offered by The
Wonderer:
Message: = ST Elite = #94 of 100 [12 Lines]
||>> // Sent On: April 19, 1993 at 11:10am
||\\ \\ Sent By: The Wonderer - who else did you expect
\\// Sent To: The Parsec - Buy a TT!
ST Replies: None
Subject: Rats Nest - Anyone knows why it's down???
...[reprint of previous post omitted for brevity]
He could take down all the files instead of going down if
that were the problem. I think it may be a little more
serious than that maybe.
--The Wonderer on Fawlty Towers BBS
Given the context of the thread in which Zaphod's "best stuff"
remark occurred, I hope Zaphod will understand why we interpreted
the comment as we did. For the record, Zaphod would like it to be
known that he most definitely did not mean commercial software.
It's only fair that we present his side more comprehensively here.
I hope his intent is clear to everyone now.
It's not quite a correction, as our report does not say otherwise,
but Zaphod would like it to be known that he uses a genuine
hardware bluebox. He has authored a piece of software which
allows users to simulate phone tones with their computers, but he
doesn't use this software himself.
It was from the documentation for Zaphod's Multi-Frequency Dialer,
in fact, that we got the misguided impression that The Shire BBS
was in Chile. Zaphod had given a Chilean exchange for that board.
We found a citation on a BBS for the Shire with a location in NY,
so we called it. When an elderly woman answered, we assumed that
Zaphod had known what he was talking about when he'd given the
Chilean exchange. PAK, sysop of STampede, has told us that the
Shire _was_ in NY but has been down for a year. I hope this
clears that one up.
The following sentence in our report brought considerable
criticism:
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.
PAK objected that the Pompey Pirates cracking ring dropped the ST
six months ago and that it is/was not headquartered on the Paris
BBS in NYC. We stand corrected: The Paris BBS is headquarters of
the SNEAKERS "spy" ring. A mixup occurred here, and we had to do
some back-tracking to discover the source of our error. Please
bear with me as I retrace these steps below:
The Pompey Pirates cracking ring was advertised as headquarted on
the Anti-Gravity II BBS on December 11 1992, as follows:
1 ~~~ CALL TODAY!! MENTION THIS AD FOR QUICK VALIDATION!! ~~~ 3
2 ________ _ __ _______ _____ 0
2 / ____ /\/ \ / /\/__ __/\/_ _/\ 0
2 / /___/ / / \ / / /\_/ /\_\/\/ /\\/ ____ 0
2 / ____ / / /\ \/ / / / / / _/ /_/ /___/\ 0
2 /_/\__/_/ /__/ /\ _/ / /_/ / /____/\ \___\/ 0
2 \_\/ \_\/\__\/ \_\/ \_\/ \____\/ 0
1 + ANTI-GRAVITY II BBS + 3
408-XXX-XXXX 2 + ATARI ST- PC ELITE + 0 408-XXX-XXXX
2 ______ ______ _____ __ __ 0
2 / ____/\______ / __ /\__ __/\_ _\ _______/\ \/ /\ 0
2 / /___ \/\ __ \ / /_/ / /\ \ /\_\//\ \/ /__ __/\ \ \/ / 0
2 / /_/ /\ \ \ \/ / / __ / /\ \ \/ / / \_\ \_\_/ /\_\/\_\ / 0
2 /_____/ / \ \ \_/_/\/_/ / \ \/ / / /\____\/ / / /_/ / 0
2 \_____\/ \ \_\__\_\/\_\/ \__/ / \/____/_/ / \_\/ 0
2 \/_/__/ \_\/ \_\/ 0
Pompey 1 380 MEGS ONLINE - 14,400 BAUD HST! 3 Pompey
Pirates 2 SysOp: GRAVITAR Co-SysOp: SPARKY 0 Pirates
The West Coast Connection
2 If you never call, you'll never know what you're missing.... 0
--Sparky on F-Net, The Tavern Elite Conference
According to the following post, our report associated the cracker
Alien correctly with the Pompey Pirates cracking ring, but wrongly
with the Paris BBS:
Conf : Pompay [sic] Pirates
Msg# : 27/37 Lines: 7 Read: 9
Sent : Jan 17, 1993 at 6:39 PM
To : All
From : Genie Pompey Pirates at Fnet Node 622, The GOLD NUGGET BBS
Subj : What's new
As of the end of January the Pompey Pirates should be
cracking games on the ST again. We had a short break
(forced on to [sic] us), but can now continue - original
suppies [sic] permitting. I am sure you all are aware
that the Alien has been keeping the St scene going single
handedly for quite some time now, but you may see someone
elses [sic] name on the Pompey St cracks from now on. Well
that about covers it, if you have any questions etc. you
can always get hold of me or Sparky on this board.
--Genie Pompey Pirates on the F-Net, Pompey Pirates
Conference
Dogs, the self-described sysop of the Paris BBS, has taken issue
with several items in our report:
Conf : ST Report
Msg# : 11526/11526 Lines: Extended Read: 2
Sent : May 02, 1993 at 1:24 AM
To : Thomas Kolakowski
From : Dogs at Fnet Node 669, Dateline: Atari
Subj : Re: <11515> IAAD PIRACY REPORT
...[reprint of previous post omitted for brevity]
Very true..there is only ONE PaRiS BBS...it went up just
two months ago...and it is certainly NOT pirate. They
accuse us (I am the SysOp) of being a Pompey Pirates United
States support bulletin board. I researched this. The Pompey
pirates were a minor cracking group that went out of
business in 1989. Hmmm....there's one discrepency. No. 2:
Nobody from the IAAD ever logged onto the board. That's odd.
No 3: There is a quote of our board saying "You have
answered a security validation question incorrectly". Even
if you omit every question on the new user questionare,
never does it say the quote accused by the IAAD. No 4: They
list a listing of known pirate users. Well, they accuse
PaRiS of being pirate. Why the hell didn't they include my
handle on the list of know [sic] pirates then huh? THis is
quite odd. I don't buy it for a second.
--Dogs on the F-Net, ST Report Conference
Dogs certainly has a lot of questions, and I'll do what I can to
address them here: (1) The first item, our report's erroneous
association of his board with the Pompey Pirates cracking ring,
has already been discussed above and will be discussed further
below. (2) Dogs is mistaken when he asserts that no one from the
IAAD has visited his BBS. (3) The quotation from his BBS in our
report was not taken from his new user questionnaire. (4) Our
listing of aliases used on pirate boards is not intended to be
comprehensive, but merely representative.
The mixup regarding the affiliation of the Paris BBS with the
wrong ring occurred when Dogs happened to post the following
announcement in the Pompey Pirates F-Net Conference; in our
notes, the conference and the cracking ring by the same name
became confused. Since Dogs asserts that there is only one Paris
BBS in his post above, it would appear that he is referring to
that very same BBS in the message below. We'll present it here
in its entirety:
Conf : Pompay [sic] Pirates
Msg# : 34/37 Lines: Extended Read: 8
Sent : Mar 13, 1993 at 11:47 PM
To : All
From : Dogs at Fnet Node 489, STeal Your Face BBS 1:107/489
Subj : New ST/PC/Sneakers/Lynx BBS! Not yer avg board!!!
A brand new BBS just opened on March 1st 1993...it's called
the
PARIS BBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Conveniently located in the heart of NYC, Paris really
promises to be something special, not your average BBS!
And guess what!? It supports
ATARI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, a new BBS in NYC that supports ATARI and IBM! All
models from ST to Falcon! Call today! It really is going
to be great. That's what all the Beta testers say.
PARIS......The city of the rich, the city of the elegant,
the beautiful, and the ELITE........and YOU! Call Today!
PARIS BBS! Atari support!
212-XXX-XXXX!!!!
212-XXX-XXXX!!!
(Strictly PD/Shareware) (yeah right...ELITENESS!) Great
msg bases too!
Paris is also the official HQ and distributor of SNEAKERS
and their products. Call for details! Tell them you saw
this ad on STeal Your Face for extra access!
>By the way...PARIS supports Lynx too!
Download the file in the ST and PC Text file areas
entitled "PaRiS_Ad.TXT" for further info!!
BTW - For those that don't know, SNEAKERS is a nationally
acclaimed organization that does all kinds of break ins
[sic] and spy operations and distributes various materials
like Magic Dollars and other phreaking materials. PaRiS is
the official HQ and exclusive distributor of their
products! Call for details. (PS The movie was named after
the group, not vice versa)
BTW 2 - As of this writing, PaRiS is just starting to work
out plans to join Phi-Net, a network of elite boardz all
across the country!
--Dogs on the F-Net, Pompey Pirates Conference
The IAAD regrets the error.
The Canadian Clockwork Orange has objected that I spelled his
name with a small "w". Please note the spelling of his name in
the header of the message which lodges this complaint:
Message: = ELITE TALK = #385 of 4oo [51 Lines]
||>> // Sent On: April 26, 1993 at 4:44am
||\\ \\ Sent By: Clockwork Orange
\\// Sent To: All
ST Replies: 1
Subject: Pirates
...[main text of post omitted for brevity]
ClockWork Orange/ICS <- the 'W' is capitalised!!!
--Clockwork Orange on STampede BBS
Many folks have asked about the fate of the BBSs featured in our
report. Some of these boards no longer answer. Two are reported
to have gone strictly public domain. Some elite conferences are
now local-only. Some sysops feel confident that they've
eliminated the "snitch", while others don't trust any of their
callers. Some BBSs are changing their names and numbers. Some
have adopted strategies which limit their callers to the most
trusted or most prolific uploaders. For many, the full impact of
the report and the investigation has yet to be realized. One
result is clear: These BBSs are no longer constantly busy.
Individual reactions from pirates have varied just as much. Our
mail has ranged from true confessions to macho threats to
elaborate excuses to flat denials. Some have curtailed or ceased
their piracy activity. Others have changed their aliases or
passwords. Some callers have asked sysops to delete their
accounts. Some have announced plans to move on to other
platforms. There is an encouraging rumor of a boycott of IAAD
members' warez.
Our list of aliases which are used by callers on pirate boards
has raised the most hackles. It is certainly true that there are
some duplicate or near-duplicate aliases out there. We know, for
example, that there are at least two Zaphod Beeblebroxes in the
ST modeming world. While we found Zaphod Beeblebrox of Sweden on
nearly every board we called, we never found the Zaphod
Beeblebrox of the United States on any pirate board's user list.
Our example aliases were drawn from user lists on pirate-only
BBSs and from elite message bases. Please note that the same
alias isn't used twice on the same board; BBS software won't
allow a new user to sign on with an existing caller's alias.
An example of a complaint of this kind is provided by NorStar,
sysop of PayBax BBS:
Conf : Atari 16/32 bit Conference
Msg# : 18963/18963 Lines: 13 Read: 2
Sent : Apr 29, 1993 at 8:44 PM
To : Roadkill
From : NorStar at Fnet Node 307, PayBax BBS node 307
Subj : Re: <18959> Piracy/Dorthy [sic] Brumleve
...[reprint of previous post omitted for brevity]
She also mentioned "Norstar" in her pirate list. I've gone
by the handle "NorStar" for over five years, and if she's
accusing ME of being a pirate I'd certainly like a word
with her!! And she listed my BBS because I have an X-rated
file area (that she calls "pornography"!). My two year old
has always found her programs to be mundane and lacking in
depth, and so that is how I take her accusations.
--NorStar on the F-Net, Atari 16/32 bit Conference
NorStar's BBS was indeed listed in our report, but _not_ because
of its X-rated file area. As the report clearly indicates,
PayBax was listed solely because of its participation in the
Upper Echelon F-Net Conference. In fact, it was from posts in
this conference, like the one below, that we lifted NorStar's
handle for our alias list:
Conf : Upper Echelon
Msg# : 315/315 Lines: 8 Read: 6
Sent : Apr 14, 1993 at 5:06 PM
To : Strike Eagle
From : NorStar at Fnet Node 307, PayBax BBS node 307
Subj : Re: <313> falcon ya-right
In reply to:
> I have seen the Atari Works program working on the
> Falcon and I had some time with it ..... I would like
> to have more thime to check it out....
> It look [sic] fairily decent.
Why don't you try it out? It's here for D/L at PayBax
BBS, as well as many other FINE BBS's!
--NorStar on the F-Net, Upper Echelon Conference
Not all pirate BBS users found our report mundane and lacking in
depth. The Shamus praised our report on STampede, saying:
"Well ... the guy who wrote this is very familiar and intimate with
the ST scene!" In fact, the very severity of the reaction from the
pirates' side is strong testimony to the accuracy of our report.
Zaphod Beeblebrox (the one in Sweden) has said that he and his
pirate friends are preparing a textphile to counter the
misinformation in the IAAD's report. That would be a refreshing
change from the retaliatory tactics attempted so far.
Some pirates have been discussing harrassment strategies openly
in their message threads. Shortly after the release of our
report, a young man impersonating a telephone operator attempted
to convince me to give him my calling card number! When this
failed, he called back and warned me not to mess with pirates.
One particularly clumsy form of harrassment has had pirates
logging on to BBSs as _me_ and attempting to impersonate me in
their posts.
Zaphod posted our entire report in a series of messages on the
Elite Underground F-Net Conference. He followed it with this
message:
Conf : Elite Underground
Msg# : 1823/1843 Lines: 7 Read: 15
Sent : Apr 26, 1993 at 9:13 AM
To : ALL
From : Zaphod Beeblebrox at Fnet Node 469, >>The Outer Region # 469<<
Subj : Nuke the IAAD!!!
If you've read the last seven letters from me I guess you'd
came [sic] to the same conclusion as I have: We must do
something about the IAAD before they do something about us.
So, what about it dudes, it's our favourite boards they're
out to get......
Greetz, Zaphod Beeblebrox of ICS and Control Team.
Eagles Nest BBS +46-18-XXXXXX - 285 Mb/14400 HST Dual - 24 Hours.
--Zaphod Beeblebrox on the F-Net, Elite Underground
Conference
Believing that their aliases provide them anonymity, some have
posted self-incriminating messages in an attempt to harrass us.
I think Belgarion's post is one of the few which can be
reproduced here:
___
/ /|
/ / |
/_ < | WHY USE A AK 47 ? [sic]
| | \ | TOO EXPENSIVE !
| | \|
| | | I PREFER A GUILLOTINE !!
| | //|
| |/O/| COME ON GUYS,I'LL CUT YOUR HEAR ! [sic]
|_|// |___________________________
/| | / /|
/ | | / //
<__| |/___________________________//
|__| |___________________________|/I
I = I I I
I I I I
I I
I I
--Belgarion on STampede
Our report was not intended to perpetuate falsehoods nor to cast
innocent parties in an unfavorable light. It was and is intended
to demonstrate to the Atari community the devastating impact of
pirate activity. I hope this sets the record straight. I
sincerely would not want to give anyone the wrong impression
about these people.
D.A. Brumleve
President, IAAD
------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1993 by D.A. Brumleve
The author reserves all rights regarding this document, with the
following exceptions: The distribution of this document is
understandably tied to the distribution of the original file
which it updates and corrects. The author hereby grants
permission to place this file on any BBS where the original
report can be found. Likewise, online magazines and other media
have the same permission regarding the reprinting of this file as
was granted in their use of the original report.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Dateline: Atari!
||| Reprint courtesy: GEnie ST RT
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
=========================================================================
(C) 1993 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May
be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on
GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign
up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection
type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt.Type XTX99437,GENIE
and press [RETURN]. The system will prompt you for your information.
==========================================================================
Special Edition of Dateline Atari!
May 7, 1993
Guest - Bob Brodie
Host - Lou Rocha
<[HOST] ST.LOU> Welcome to the May edition of Dateline Atari! with
Bob Brodie, Director of Communications for Atari Corp. When last
we met Bob, we heard that the Falcon030 had just arrived in
Sunnyvale and was about to undergo Quality Assurance before
shipping to dealers. In the past weeks we have seen messages of
'Falcon sightings' across the country and we now await mass
shipments to the general public. Tonight we hope to hear more news
about Falcon availability and about developments in Falcon
software. On that night I would like to welcome Bob and ask for
his opening comments. Bob, it's show time!
<BOB-BRODIE> Welcome to the May installment of Dateline:Atari!
Tonight, I don't have a general topic to focus on, so I'd just
like to bring you up to date with some of the things that have
been happening at Atari, and then I will be happy to take your
questions on just about any topic. Note carefully the words "just
about"! :) Shipments of Atari Falcon030s continue in the US, and
we are pleased with the increasing demand for the product. We
have seen a number of dealers that used to carry the line contact
Atari and express their interest in carrying the Atari Falcon030.
As in the past few months, the bulk of the interest to date has
been from the music market. No doubt this is keyed by the
extraordinary reviews that the Atari Falcon030 continues to
receive in the music media. One of the premier California music
magazines, BAM, has indicated that they would like to do an entire
issue focusing on the capabilities of the Atari Falcon030. We're
very encouraged by the growing demand for the the product.
Here's the status on a few products that we've discussed at great
length in previous versions of Dateline: Atari: Atari Works,
SpeedoGDOS, and MultiTOS. Atari Works is being installed on the
Atari Falcon030 here in Sunnyvale at present. We will have this
product ready to ship to the established user base in 6-8 weeks.
The manual is finalized, and we are awaiting production of the
manual and the diskettes from the factory in Taiwan. As we have
indicated in the past, Atari Works will retail for $129 US, and
will include SpeedoGDOS and 14 BitStream fonts. SpeedoGDOS ships
with the Atari Falcon030, but at present the manual for SpeedoGDOS
is simply a photo-copied version of the manual. We will have
"real" manuals in stock in 6-8 weeks, and at that time we will
also be shipping SpeedoGDOS to the established userbase. The cost
of SpeedoGDOS will be $69 US, including the 14 BitStream fonts. In
addition to Atari selling SpeedoGDOS, we have made arrangements
with Oregon Research and Compo Software to license SpeedoGDOS from
us. Oregon Research will ship SpeedoGDOS for their customers using
True Paint. Compo Software has licensed additional fonts from
BitStream for them to sell to our users. Be sure to check in the
ST RT Library here on GEnie for the official press releases from
both of these companies. At the time of this writing, I am not
certain what the pricing will be.
MultiTOS is shipping with Atari Falcon030s, and shares the same
type of photo-copied manual as SpeedoGDOS has. As we have
previously indicated, MultiTOS will be available for the
established user base. The cost of MultiTOS is $59 US, and is
expected to be available in 6-8 weeks as well.
We will be accepting orders from our dealers on these products in
about a month, so please be sure to let them know at that point in
time if you're interested in purchasing these products. At this
point in time, I would like to say a special thank you to one of
our stalwart contributors to Atari Explorer Online, Andreas
Barbiero. Andreas is being shipped out to Japan for a prolonged
stay (six months I belive) and will be sorely missed by all of us
here in Sunnyvale. I've come to admire his work, both as a
writer, and as something of a fill in online representative for me
over on Delphi. He's here tonight, using the AEO.2 account on
GEnie. I'd just like to say thanks for all of your hard work,
Andreas. We'll miss you, and hope you get home soon. some. With
that, I'm ready to take any questions from the floor Lou.
<[Host] ST.LOU> Our first question is from David Fairweather.
<[David] FAIRWEATHER> I live in California I'd like to buy a
package of Falcon, Multisync Monitor and custom hard drive from
Toad Computers back east. Will Atari's dealer agt. prevent this?
<BOB-BRODIE> Yes it will, David. We do not allow our dealers to
mail order unless it is to remote areas or where there is no
dealer in the area. In California, we have a number of dealers.
There is no reason that I can understand for you to have to order
a system from Maryland.
<[David] FAIRWEATHER> When will Falcon's be available for sale in
California?
<BOB-BRODIE> They will be available for sale in California at the
same point in time that they are in Maryland, unless TOAD has
decided that rather than keep their demo units as demos, they want
to sell them right away. We would not approve for them to sell
all the way to California...there are other dealers here closer to
you that can service your needs without you having to send all the
way across the country for a computer.
<[David] FAIRWEATHER> Two reasons. California has 8.5% sales tax
and Toad makes custom drives and monitors. When do you expect
Falcons to hit the streets?
<BOB-BRODIE> You are welcome to purchase your hard drives or
monitors from Toad...but we have been very clear with them that
they, as well as any other dealer, are not to mail order out of
their area. If we find that there are violations, the dealer runs
the risk of having his dealership revoked. Garry Tramiel is VERY
firm on this. In fact, he actually saw an ad for Toad Computers
asking people to call for their Falcon...so he did!! <grin> When
they asked him what his name was, he didn't lie either! He said
"My name is Garry Tramiel." They said "Right...what's your real
name and Garry replied that it was really him. They indicated
that they wouldn't sell him a computer, but would be happy to take
his order for a monitor or a hard drive. :) The next shipment of
Falcons is on the way here via boat at this time...I checked with
our factory rep just before the CO began and he indicated that
they are about 10 calendar days away.
<BRIAN.H> Hi Bob. I know you are working real hard to make the
FALCON a success. Therfore, please don't take this personal: What
is happening with the Canadian Dealer Agreement? We have a local
owner, RGB, who want to sell ATARIs but need an agreement in order
to become a dealer. Can Canadians order Falcons from the USA since
there is none in our area?
<BOB-BRODIE> Brian, we've already sent out the agreement to the
dealers in Canada, and in fact have gotten a number of them back.
I thought that RGB would have gotten their's for certain...unless
the lead sheet got misplaced. If I can prevail on you just one
more time in email to have you send me his info, I'll personally
see that it goes out on Monday. And no, we do not want US dealers
selling into Canada.
<BRIAN.H> Thanks Bob. Rob at RBG hasn't got his yet. I will do
right away. How long will it take to get the agreement?
<BOB-BRODIE> Unless our mailman owns stock in Apple, I would think
that it should only take about seven days to have snail mail go to
Nova Scotia, Brian.
<S.KIEPE> Bob, can you explain the reasoning behind not letting
authorized Atari dealers sell falcons at the CT Atarifest,
especially as there are no Connecticut dealers? If dealers can't
do it, how about Atari direct sales to no-dealer zones?
<BOB-BRODIE> Steve, the reasoning was because the dealer going to
the CT show was a North Carolina dealer. There are other dealers
that are much closer to that venue, for instance in NYC that are
going to or ARE carrying the Falcon. They should be the ones that
are selling into that area. And while I appreciate your suggestion
about Atari doing direct sales into no-dealer zones, I'd really
prefer to have all the sales go through our dealers as much as
possible. We will be watching for repeat requests for mail order
shipments into a specific area, and if we see a good demand for
that area, then we will attempt to set up a dealer there. I'd
prefer that direct selling by Atari be done only as a last resort
at this point in time.
<MIKE-ALLEN> Bob - I understand that you want to protect your
dealers, but this mail order thing is a little silly given the
almost ALL of NA is remote to Atari dealers. I was really
disappointed to read Sheldon't post in re the CT fest. Comment?
<BOB-BRODIE> I'm disappointed that he won't be attending the show
either, Mike. I think that's unfortunate. However, we have to
start helping our dealers that we're bringing on board by helping
them make the most of the opportunites that are in their back yard
as well. I think that there are a lot of other things that
Sheldon could be selling at the CT Show, but respect him very
much... I'm not going to debate his decision. Suffice it to say
that he has been at other shows in the past where there have been
other dealers, and developers. He's a great guy and he'll always
do well. The CT Show is a great place for someone like Sam Ash,
or Manny's to come to. We've also had inquiries from another
potential dealer that is in East Hartford...right in CT.
<[Chris] C.OATES2> Hello, Bob. Being a Bay Arean, the news about
the possible BAM Issue is great! BAM, being a free magazine. gets
a lot of exposure. When should I start keeping my eye out for the
Falcon issue, if it happens?
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi Chris, the feature article on the Falcon030 is
something that I just heard about from James Grunke today. I'm
afraid that I don't have a firm schedule just yet. James had
indicated that it would probably appear in the September issue or
so.
<[The King] JOHN.KING.T> Bob, I was wondering if you could clear
up some of the rumors that have been spread regarding the Atari
"clone?"
<BOB-BRODIE> Hi John...boy there really has been a lot of
discussion about this topic. Most of it seems to be centered over
in the Atari Forums on CompuServe, run by Ron Luks. Frankly, I'm
stumped by all the controversy! I had written a very brief
informative piece for Atari Explorer Online in our last issue
about this, and Ron Luks responded by saying he was "Speechless".
He didn't stay that way very long! :) Anyway, I had previously
discussed this project with the designer of the hardware, Jim
Allen, and yesterday the treasurer of the company was here in
Sunnyvale, along with their software engineer. I had lunch with
the treasurer, and he's really surprised at all the furor about
this, too. Lost in the shuffle is the fact that this system will
not support ANY of the standard ST video resolutions....it will
only run VGA. That will wipe out huge chunks of the software
library for the machine simply because so many programs assume
that ST video is available to use for the program. The company is
very clear about what their intention is/was. They are discussing
building a unit that is aimed at a vertical niche market,
specifically doing a touch screen technology for resturants that
will be networked, and control a entire point of sale, inventory
tracking, etc type of activities. There are NO PLANS to sell this
as a general purpose CPU to compete against us. I wish them well
with their efforts. It certainly isn't the first VAR to use the
Atari platform as a launch pad for their own custom hardware, and
I hope that it won't be the last. On a slightly different note,
I'd like to express my thanks and admiration to Darlah, and the
rest of the sysops of the Atari RTs for keeping such an even keel
on a topic that became so controversial so quickly. I hope
someone sends a capture of how it was handled here to Ron Luks.
<[Pat Forister] P.FORISTER> Do you expect enough Falcons to
satisify the amount of initial orders 10 days from now, I don't
know how much longer I can wait. Also, I want a picture perfect
640-480 @256 color desktop what monitor do I buy? Will it be
interlace???
<BOB-BRODIE> Pat, yes I think we'll be able to satisfy most of the
backorders. At least the ones that we have TODAY. Monday might
bring a different story. :) What is the application that you will
be using your Atari Falcon030 for? From the rez that you're
describing, I'm inclined to say get a good quality VGA.
<[John] JKUEHN> Bob, what happened to the CD-ROM (.XFS) drivers
that Bill Rehboch was going to upload (a week or so) after the 3
April RTC here? Several CD-ROM users here in the DC area are
anxiously awaiting the arrival of the drivers.
<BOB-BRODIE> John, I just stuck my head out of the office to look
for Bill... but he's not around right now for me to ask. I am
aware that there are a number of enhancements under consideration
for the drivers, but if he said that he was going to upload them,
I don't know why he hasn't done it. I'd suggest that you send him
a note in e-mail at B.REHBOCK and ask him. It's his baby!
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> Thanks, 1st. After CeBIT there has been the
rumour that Atari will cancel the annual Duesseldorf Show...if
that is true, why considering that this is one of the most
important Atari shows in Europe and will cause great resentment.
<BOB-BRODIE> I understand that the Duesseldorf Show has been
cancelled. The rationale was that rather than do an Atari only
show, the management was looking to participate in a much larger
multi platform show in Berlin.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> And secondly: Will there be someone to fill
the obvious leadership gap in Germany? And how will Atari regain
the many lost German users?
<BOB-BRODIE> Right now we have leadership in Germany.I really
don't know what you mean about the "obvious" gap. We expect to
regain the users in Germany the same way that we will regain users
here by shipping a quality product with applications that will
fit their needs, and give them a reason to choose Atari over
another computer company.
<S.KIEPE> Bob, can you give us an expected quantity of Falcon's in
the first shipment, 5, 50, 5000? - and I'm only interested in how
many are destined for retail sale! #2, back to the CT fest - It
appears that there are NO Atari hardware dealers intending to come
to the show (Falcon types) so Atari has shut off the market, any
chance of a reconsideration?
<BOB-BRODIE> Sorry, Steve. We will not give out numbers. I spoke
briefly with Brian Gockley today, and he is aware of our position.
I recommeded to him that he contact Manny's and Sam Ash and I will
be contacting a lead that we have for a Hartford dealer on Monday
to see what we can do about getting him onboard quickly so he can
participate in the show. Again, this really isn't as new a policy
as you might think ... the Glendale Show for YEARS has had a
policy that prohibits dealers from out of the area from coming to
the show to sell hardware. They have always allowed them to come
and sell software, and a couple of Northern California dealers
discussed coming down to sell their eight bit products at
Glendale. But they have never allowed ST type product sales by
out of area dealers.
<[Jason] J.BRUNKEN> Bob, You have repeatedly mentioned new dealers
on both coasts. How's the dealer outlook for those of us who live
in the heartland? (Iowa's Great.... Not!) 2nd, Can you tell us
anything new on the Jaguar?
<BOB-BRODIE> Funny you would mention Iowa, I sent out a dealer
application just yesterday to a prospect in Iowa. We don't have a
rep that is working that area for us yet, so that is a "hole" that
we have in the map that we need to work on. Re the Jaguar, not
yet...sorry. Oops, Hey Jason... Just checked the dealer list:
Mason City Music, in Mason City. 515-423-2277 is their phone
number.
<[Die/!\Hard] D.VICHA> Bob, the IAAD report about software piracy,
mentioned that TOS 1.4 and AW were listed ... is Atari planning
any action or assisting the IAAD in prosecuting the pirates?
<BOB-BRODIE> Yes, I have already spoken with our corporate counsel
about this situation, and he is investigating the best way for us
to proceed with this. Obviously, we have been damaged by the
pirates, and we will strive to perserve our rights, as well as our
partners in the IAAD's rights. Portions of the investiagtion to
determine the real names of the operators of these BBS has already
been done. We will be pursuing them.
<[Die/!\Hard] D.VICHA> Has anyone in Sunnyvale called Ed & Carol
at Software Plus in Chicago. They've been longtime Atari dealers
and they've been ignored?
<BOB-BRODIE> Software Plus was sent a dealer app. If they haven't
gotten it, please ask them to fax me at 408-745-2088, or if you
wouldn't mind, send me email on them and I will be happy to send
them out an application.
<[David] FAIRWEATHER> Does the dealer agt. also prevent selling
Falcons for less than MSRP? Or from advertising discounted prices?
Goodman Music is advertising $999 Falcons but they are talking
about 4 megs no HD. Will that config be in the 1st shipment?
<BOB-BRODIE> David, we consider the dealer agreement to be a
confidential document, so I really don't want to get too far into
a discussion about it. However in answering your questions this
one time, Goodman's pricing is correct for a 4 meg Falcon with no
HD. And I'm not sure if that is in the next shipment, my guess
would be that we're still getting just the 4/65s in the next
shipment.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> Mr.Brodie, what will Atari do about the
Scandinavian, specifically Swedish, market, I understand that the
Falcon is retailing there for 16000 SK...that is nearly 2800 U$D!
And secondly will Atari bundle any graphics software with the
Falcon?
<BOB-BRODIE> Yat, I'm not 100% up to speed on the plans for
Sweden. I'm an employee of Atari US, not corporate. However, the
last that I recall hearing we were setting up a distributor in
Sweden to sell our products for us there. I honestly do not track
the prices of our products. I find that North America keeps me
quite busy all by itself. Re the graphics bundle, we're always
open to proposals from our developers, and certainly the dealers
and distributors are welcome to bundle as well. However at this
time, we're quite comfortable with the Falcon shipping with the
software that it is....Atari Works, MultiTOS, SpeedoGDOS, etc.
<A.RIDLEY1> First what is the situation in Canada, will Canadian
dealers be getting new Falcons or has Atari decided to stick with
US dealers?
<BOB-BRODIE> We just sent out the dealer agreement to Canadian
dealers about two weeks ago, and we have already gotten a number
of them back. as I indicated earlier in the CO to Brian. So,
no... we're not "sticking with US dealers". I bet the US dealers
would have a another term for that. :) Dealers that we've already
heard from include MicroVision in BC, Long & McQuade, Falcon
Systems The dealers will get their machines in the sequence that
we are able to sign them up. If an established dealer hasn't
returned his paper work for his Falcon dealership, he will not get
the product. There are sweeping changes to the Terms and
Conditions of the agreement, and we must be sure that the current
dealers agree to the new terms and conditions prior to them
accepting the product.
<MIKE-ALLEN> I heard that due to problems with D2D that it isn't
shipping with the Falcon. true/false/comment? Also when will
Atari post a list of 'official' dealers? or will they?
<BOB-BRODIE> True, D2D is not shipping today. We are getting
updates from them on a daily basis, and will ship D2D to everyone
as soon as we have a version in hand that is satisfactory. No, we
will not post our dealer list. If you have a question about where
to purchase our products, tell us where you are, and we'll be
happy to refer you to a dealer. The mail order thing has almost
been amusing a few times, Mike. We had a dealer here in
California ask if they could sell a Falcon to a customer in
Australia!!! BTW, there is a dealer in New Mexico now...Grandma's
Music. in Albuquerque.
<[Jeff] J.WHITE99> Naturally, Bob, we here in SoCal have a large
focus on the musical applications of the F030 but there appears to
be a strong interest out there in its multimedia potential as
well. Are there any developers about to release products that can
e discussed that fill the non-music side of the platform?
<BOB-BRODIE> Jeff, Lexicor is working on a comprehensive suite of
products that will serve many of the needs of the multimedia
platform. We published a document entitled an Atari Perspective on
Personal Integrated Media that I can send to you that will outline
many of the applications that we felt back around COMDEX were key
to MultiMedia. Naturally, there are more today. Just this
afternoon, Bill Rehbock was visited by a developer with "Apple
Roots" that does Morphing software. He's intersted in trying out
an Atari Falcon030 as well. :)
<[Jeff] J.WHITE99> What kind of support is Atari giving a company
like Lexicor who has a long history of developing products to
elevate the standard of the platform and it's interactivity with
others? What else besides Lexicor?
<BOB-BRODIE> Jeff, we enjoy a excellent ongoing dialog with
Lexicor, and the other products might take a while to list
tonight. For example, COMPO is working on a video titler package,
another product called In Shape that is a direct competitior to
Lexicor's Chronos/Phoenix, Digital Arts has a whole slew of stuff,
like DA's Vektor which is in stock at Pacific Software TODAY
BTW.
<[Go Spurs!] C.CASSADAY> Bob, can you clarify the word on mail-
order to non-dealer supported areas? The individual who you spoke
to in San Antonio is having second thoughts about opening up his
store. Do you have signed dealer agreements from anyone else in
Texas? Where can we buy Falcon's if there are no other Texas
dealers, and no places like Computer STudio, or TOAD to mail-order
them from?
<BOB-BRODIE> Chris, we HAVE opened a dealer in San Antonio...it is
Hermes Trading Co, Inc. There are located at 4100 San Pedro in
San Antonio, and they're phone number is 210-734-5898.
<[Yat@Lexicor] Y.SIU> What is the status for a proper TT upgrade
such as a Falcon040 with external case and keyboard and how is the
deal with Brainstorm going (ref:mpeg player) as this is important
for a Multimedia market...thanks.
<BOB-BRODIE> Yat, we're firing up the factory lines again to build
proper TTs rather than a "proper TT upgrade". At CeBIT, a number
of third party company's showcased Falcon Towers, it really isn't
a big deal to have that done. I have indicated in the past that
we are working on an 040, but that is all that I have to say about
that project. I will not give out prospective specifications or
other info on that tonight. Sorry.
<[James] J.VOGH> Can SPeedoGDOS support postscript and any dealers
in Oklahoma?
<BOB-BRODIE> Speedo does not do PostScript at this point in time,
sorry. Re the dealers in Oklahoma, Norman Music Center, in Norman
OK 405-321-8300
<[John B.] J.BRENNER1> Hi Bob, my dealer sent in his dealer
agreement as soon as he received it. Will orders be filled on a
fist come first serve basis. When will Canadian suggested retail
be announced. Re/Lexicor, I think the package is called NO
COMMENT(grin)
<BOB-BRODIE> John, Yes, orders will be basically on first come,
first serve. If there are other issues that come up, like account
problems those will have to be resolved as well before we will
ship. If you're commenting about the question re BrainStorm,
anyone that is a developer that is interested in doing JPEG/MPEG
thingys should be talking with Bill Rehbock, preferably in email
here on GEnie at his address of B.REHBOCK.
<S.KIEPE> Can you come up with a dealership in San Diego, CA (the
6th largest city in the US) and #2, how is Atari going to regain
Lynx dealers - they've all but disappeared.
<BOB-BRODIE> Computer Plus in San Diego is in discussions with us
now. Garry Trameil is on the road visiting some of the major
retailers even as we speak discussing the Lynx situation with
them. And we have also opened up an 800 line to serve our Lynx
customers who cannot find a local dealer near them: 800-221-EDGE
<[Host] ST.LOU> Bob, our final question comes from Bruce Welsch,
organizer of the KC Fest.
<[BRUCE] B.WELSCH> Hi Bob, Hope you will make the Kansas City Show
and talk to Attendees, also my local dealer asked me to ask you to
call him about his demo machine ;-) I HOPE THAT ATARI WOULD HAVE A
PRESENCE.
<BOB-BRODIE> Bruce, thank you for the invitation. I will
certainly give it due consideration. And I will be certain to
call your dealer on Monday to discuss his unit with him. Thanks
for relaying that along to me.
<[Host] ST.LOU> Bob, all the inquiries about dealers, agreements
and mailorder would seem to be a sign of swelling interest among
real purchasers! I would like to wish you and Atari well in
meeting this demand. :-) Thanks for coming tonight.
<BOB-BRODIE> Thank you, Lou. As always, it has been a pleasure to
meet with our many supporters here on our *Official* Online Home:
GEnie! I've enjoyed this relatively brief Dateline:Atari! tonight,
and thank everyone for coming out to share this time with us.
Goodnight!
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||| Atari Artist
||| Pete Donoso & Fadi Hayek
/ | \ GEnie: EXPLORER.2
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Well, as in all well-intentioned plans, it seems the universe has had
other ideas for doling out time. It looks like our developing
schedules have constrained us solely to a monthly appearance, but
then, if you've been following this column since we came on board, at
least we'll be able to maintain our consistency!
This time around we'll be taking a closer look at the upcoming release
of E-Magic's NOTATOR LOGIC. We had hoped to have gotten our Falcons by
now. While most of them will endeavor to remain compatible with the
rest of the Atari ST/STe/TT030 line, these recent and near-future
releases are primed to take full advantage of the Falcon's features.
so we feel it fitting to hold off on our DeskTop Publishing and
Graphics/Animation coverage until they arrive. We'll hopefully be able
to resume our originally-intended wider breadth of coverage in the
months to come.
Peter Donoso & Fadi Hayek
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E-Magic (formerly C-Lab) has decided to release their Macintosh
version of Notator Logic first, with the Atari version scheduled for a
second half of '93 release. In our recent discussion with the people
at E-Magic, we were assured that the Atari version of the program will
have 95% of the features offered in the Mac version. In addition,
E-Magic is working on updating their renowned group of Atari
cartridge-based SMPTE time code/MIDI port expander hardware to
accommodate Logic's numerous added features.
Notator Logic is somewhat of a radical departure from its illustrious
predecessors, and though current users of Creator and Notator will be
offered the chance to upgrade to NL, they will certainly find
themselves in unfamiliar territory here. Notator Logic does represent
a total departure from the familiar Notator environment.
//// A New Approach
The designers of Notator Logic have decided to mirror the structural
approach of the major platforms by using a hierarchal file system,
just like the Atari computers' environment! Any group of sequences,
including tracks from different files, multi-timbral arrangements, or
individual songs can all be combined in a folder, and can even contain
a number of sub-folders. The premise is to provide a way for the
musician to be able to group these much in the same way as they would
bring together their various musical thoughts and ideas. The company
claims this method allows for a user-structured interface that adapts
to the needs of the individual musician.
Notator Logic's Multiple Track Manager gives you access to any number
of tracks and sequences, and any track can contain any number of
sequences of any length without creating conflicts from possible
overlapping of material. The program offers multiple windows with
powerful zoom in and out capabilities and each Editor has its own set
of menus. All windows are inter-actively linked and are updated when
changes are made within any one Editor, all in real-time.
//// The Sequencer
Resolution is rated at an impressive 960 ppq (pulse per quarter note).
For the non-technical person, this translates into an amazingly high
level of realism that can faithfully recreate a performance, right
down to every nuance and variation of tempo and volume which
contributes to its overall dynamic presence. Apart from the basic
features that you can expect to find in most sequencers, Notator Logic
strives to help you attain the results you want by offering a number
of innovative and powerful tools that you can call up without having
to wade through the manual. The biggest overall change from Notator
SL is the welcomed switch from a "drum machine" styled pattern method
of recording tracks (as a series of simultaneous and overlapping loops
which used a graphic display that left much to your imagination) to a
more linear display that deals with sections of music as "parts". The
guys at Steinberg/Jones may feel flattered by obvious similarity to
their renowned Cubase sequencing environment, but the resemblance is
almost too close for comfort. There's a Matrix editor which displays
the position and pitch of all notes, set within a grid. The Hyper
editor provides graphic drum editing, as well as the drawing of MIDI
Controller curves. The Event editor allows you to deal with your
sequence by manipulating data through numerical values. The most
innovative aspect of the program concerns the Environment window,
which allows you to recreate a virtual copy of your actual MIDI setup
- sort of like an object-oriented-programming styled environment.
Configuring all your keyboards, synth modules, samplers, drum machine
and effects units, as well as any other MIDI-controlled units in your
studio, is simply a matter of picking the appropriate matching graphic
icon and dragging it onto what the work field, where you can then
define their MIDI channel and output, and network them all together.
Changing your set-up to accommodate a new sequence or added equipment
is a breeze, and you can also easily facilitate the loading and saving
of sys-ex information, as well as the downloading of individual
patches, patch changes, and a host of other MIDI parameters. In
addition to being able to function as a master keyboard for
configuring splits, layers, drum mapping and MIDI merging, objects
also include freely- assignable faders and a powerful collection of
MIDI processors, such as arpeggiators (including guitar strum
simulations!), delay lines, real- time transformers, and chord
translators. All-told, this is probably the most exciting aspect of
Notator Logic's many new offerings. Unlimited loops can be created
and assigned to any Folder without having to copy the part - an
interesting feature. Among a number of other capabilities are: full
MIDI FX, such as delay, panning and compression; activity meters with
assignable peak-hold functions; simultaneous multiple sequence/Folder
editing; full support of Notator SL song importing; freely- assignable
key commands for practically any function; link multiple windows for
region editing; MIDI Machine Control support for controlling any MMC-
based multi-track tape player directly from your sequencer; MIDI thru,
mute and re-routing; a wide variety of quantization options, including
Groove Design and Adaptive Groove; scrubbing/cueing at user-defined
speed; user- defined selection variables for any section, loop or
song, such as within a specified time range or playing a passage in
reverse; a Tool palette with scissors, magnifying glass, eraser,
pencil, glue and text cursor,(again, remarkably similar to Cubase!); a
voice limiter to assign voices for use with multi-timbral synths and
samplers; full Unitor 2 support; real-time tempo, track and sequence
changes without glitches; song position graphic line indicator.
//// Notation
Notator has always maintained its edge with its superb and impressive
notation capabilities, and one would hope that Notator Logic would at
least equal if not surpass it's illustrious ancestor. Although the
final verdict is still out, word has it that the radical changes to
the sequencing aspects of the program have somewhat compromised the
product's notation speed and accuracy. One would assume that E-magic
will be feverously working to bring their notation up to prior snuff,
but since the Atari version has yet to be released, it's quite
possible that the problems have more to do with the Mac's specific
architecture than with the program's potential as a whole. Still,
touting true WYSIWYG capabilities, along with an impressive number of
layout tools and format options certainly promise to keep Notator
Logic at least in the same class with the rest of the major players.
Rather than go into the details, we're reserving judgement until we've
had a chance to take the Atari version for a test spin.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Well, yes it does seem rather short this time around, doesn't it? I
suppose we could quote the old, "Time flies when you're...", but we'll
spare you the platitudes. We still welcome your comments, suggestions and
any interesting things you may want to see mentioned here, so feel free to
write to either of us on Genie at EXPLORER.2.
Until next time, just remember...
-=-=-=-=- Today Is The Tomorrow You Dreamed About Yesterday. -=-=-=-=-
--==--==--==--==--
||| Adventures of an Amateur Hardware Hacker - Part Two
||| By: Don Wilhelm, BAAUG & SCCAUG
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
//// Editor: As a precaution, if you do not have experience with
//// working with the tools and/or methods described in this article,
//// or if you feel uncomfortable about anything herein, PLEASE DO NOT
//// ATTEMPT ANY MODIFICATIONS DESCRIBED. Your, and your computer's
//// safety, is paramount.
Adventure No.2. OVERSCAN: A LITTLE BIT MORE RESOLUTION (FOR SOME SOFTWARE)
AT A "MODERATE" PRICE (A fantasy adventure)
One other "moderate" cost incremental "upgrade" that I have been
ruminating on for life extension of my ST is overscan, which is a
technique that increases the video resolution; i.e., puts more pixels
on the monitor screen in the unused border area. The original public
domain overscan hack from Europe was reprinted in the November 1989
Bay Area Atari User Group (BAAUG--San Jose, California area)
Newsletter. Perhaps Joe Fischer (BAAUG's SYSOP) still has it and could
put it in the Newsletter again, if there's any interest. Also Britton
Robbins (VP of BAAUG) is now working on an article on graphics
hardware that may include a discussion of overscan. The technique
involves some minor (but not for the amateur) motherboard
modifications and the overscan software. TOS 1.2 or higher is
required. The big drawback is that only a small number of programs run
with the overscan modification; specifically (as I understand it)
software that was written following all of the programming rules set
forth by Atari and that also was written to be resolution- independent
(not limited to the standard Atari ST resolutions). This means that
most games don't work with overscan. However, the benefit is that some
good applications software does work with it. Programs that are
reported to work or probably (based on the programmers' reputations
for top-notch products) work with overscan include:
- WordWriter ST
- Timeworks Publisher ST (the original version)
- maybe the other old TimeWorks programs
- First Word
- Calamus
- Pagestream
- Dynacad
- probably Warp 9
- Universal Item Selector
- probably the CodeHead utilities Maxifile and Hot Wire and others
- LDW Power (except in the condensed view mode)
- Easy Draw
- Cubase
Programs reported not to work, in addition to most games, include:
- CyberPaint - Degas
- Cyber Studio/CAD-3D - Flash
- Turbo ST - Uniterm
- Tempus 2.0 - Signum 2
I have not seen any information on the overscan compatibility of the
newer CAD, drawing, art, and word processing programs that have come
out of Europe in the past couple of years, nor on other CAD programs.
I am aware of two commercial products (hardware upgrades with
accompanying software patches) for the Atari ST and Mega ST based on
the overscan principle: AutoSwitch OverScan (from OverScan GbR,
Berlin, Germany) and Pixel Wonder (from Maxon GmbH, Eschborn,
Germany). Both sell for about $100 - $120, plus installation charges,
which may run from $40 to $100, depending on the dealer/technician and
whether or not the 68000 has to be desoldered and a socket has to be
installed on the motherboard. Reportedly both products are compatible
with the 16MHz 68000 accelerators. Both products automatically switch
back to standard resolution when a program is executed that is not
compatible with overscan. Apparently the difference between Pixel
Wonder and AutoSwitch OverScan is that Pixel Wonder includes "its own
video chip" (identified as the 6845), which permits the user to tweak
the refresh rate (vertical scan frequency) to fine tune the achievable
resolution, i.e., program his video display to some extent. By the
way, trying to get information by writing or FAXing Maxon over the
past two years has been frustrating to me. Maxon has never answered
any of my correspondence. OverScan GbR has been much more responsive
to written questions and requests for technical literature (until
recently). I figure that it's just not worth it now for German Atari
products vendors to respond to individual end users in the U.S.A.
I phoned Motorola to ask if it is the source of the "6845". The rep
with whom I talked told me that the Motorola MC6845 CRT Controller
(CRTC) still exists, but is "not popular" any more. It does allow
adjusting the horizontal and vertical sync. It is a 40-pin chip that
is compatible with Motorola's old 6800 family of 8-bit
microprocessors. He referred me to other manufacturers (NEC, Philips,
Chips & Technologies) as possible sources of advanced CRTCs that are
compatible with the 68000 family of processors. He also told me some
other things that I didn't understand, since I don't know beans about
this video stuff.
The MC6845 has a suggested retail price of $3.67, so it seems safe to
say that this chip should not have a big impact on the price of Pixel
Wonder. The rep sent me the MC6845 manual, which says that this CRTC
"provides video timing and refresh memory addressing" and is "fully
programmable via processor data bus" with "interlace or non-interlace
scan modes." The manual provides a nice technical discussion of CRTC
interface systems and applications of this chip, but the applications
part is beyond me. Yet it does look as if this chip has enough basic
capability to permit doing some interesting things with overscan on
the Atari ST.
I wonder what wonders would be possible with more advanced chips. For
that, we must turn to the realm of the much much more capable (and
much higher-priced) high-resolution graphics cards that are available
for the Megas and later model Atari computers, but apparently not for
the STs unless a Megabus adapter is added (e.g., from JRI, for about
$200). I await illuminating in-depth articles on high-res graphics
technology from masters of the technology.
AutoSwitch OverScan is sold by San Jose Computer and ATY Computer
(Oakland). I had to go to San Francisco to see a demo of it by a
member of ABACUS. Alex Yu (the owner of ATY Computer) had installed it
on Vern's Mega ST4. It looks nice, when it works, but Vern quit using
it because of some problem with the WYSIWIG display of Pagestream 2.1
when running OverScan. Toad Computers (in Maryland) told me they
stopped selling OverScan because of instability problems with it on
the Mega (no further info on this). However, Toad did get it to run OK
on the one 1040 ST. Pixel Wonder is imported by MicroWorld (Bill
Yerger) of Berkeley. Bill has referred to it as a "poor man's VGA."
Like the other dealers, MicroWorld has never set up a store demo. Bill
reports that only one unit has been installed so far for someone in
the Bay Area, but he has not been able to put me in touch with that
person for some user feedback. So I have never seen the wonders of
Pixel Wonder, and I am still wondering about it.
Are either of these two products worth the investment? Perhaps, if
one's applications are primarily the programs that work with overscan
and all of one's favorite utilities and desk accessories are also
compatible. The resolutions shown for the two commercial overscan
products in Table 1 indicate that a few to several extra lines of text
and columns of characters are achievable, with the best results being
obtained with multiscan (multisync) monitors in the Atari monochrome
mode. Apparently there is some variation in achievable resolution in
the monochrome mode among models of multiscan monitors. The difference
between the standard Atari monochrome resolution and overscan is
noticable (and to me appreciable) with a word processor, desktop
publisher, or a spreadsheet. I didn't see a demo of medium or low
resolution (the color modes).
If I should want to combine overscan with a 16MHz 68000 accelerator on
an ST (which I have been contemplating), I am probably looking at a
total pricetag of at least $400. This is in the ballpark of half the
projected price of the bare bones Falcon030. Also, AutoSwitch OverScan
and Pixel Wonder are probably not compatible with the 68030
accelerator boards, although I understand that there is an AutoSwitch
OverScan available now for the TT. However, I have no information on
it yet. But, if I opted for a 68030 accelerator board (also close to
or higher than the cost of a Falcon030, depending on the board), I
would probably eventually want to be able to use a high-resolution
graphics graphics board of comparable quality and power. And that
costs another $500-$1500.
Is adding overscan worth it? How spiffy a video display do I need?
The enhanced high resolution (monochrome) with both products is
attractive, and the 640x350 medium resolution claimed for Pixel Wonder
could even make word processing and spreadsheeting in color pleasant.
For speeding things up, is a 16MHz 68000 accelerator board going to
satisfy my real need or lust for raw speed? How emotionally attached
to my ST am I? Do I want to keep it alive forever at any cost, or am I
willing to let it pass over into the great beyond? I'm tempted to
tinker and keep my 520 ST on life extension systems, but there's also
the issue of the increased risk of something getting weird in the
computer circuitry as more and more third party gizmos are hooked up
to the motherboard to soup it up.
In contrast, the Falcon030 sure is looking like more and more of a
great deal as I learn more and more about what it can do
off-the-shelf. Perhaps if I had a Falcon030, I could even advance to
doing some computing, instead of eternal tinkering inside my computer
case. Imagine my future Falcon030 hooked up to a high resolution
projector in a movie theater, enabling me to fill the entire wide
screen with the totality of my spreadsheet or my 999,999 x 777,777
resolution true color cosmic computer art.
By the way, the Falcon030 reportedly has built-in overscan
capabilities. As Britton Robbins explained it to me, this means that
the overscan hardware is already in place. However, the software
itself must be written to literally request overscan in order to take
advantage of this capability. Apparently it is not enough, for
example, that a program like TimeWorks' WordWriter ST is able to run
with the above-discussed overscan add-ons; some code has to be added
to WordWriter to request the Falcon030's overscan. Britton also
suggested that somebody might come along who will write a utility
program that will take care of this function, but pointed out that
nobody has done it yet. My thanks to Britton for clarifying these and
some other points about overscan for me. In the March 1993 issue of
"Current Notes" David Troy also briefly discusses the Falcon030's
overscan mode and the fact that the right monitors are required and
the software application "must be Falcon-aware to take advantage of
overscan."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 1. Claimed Video Resolutions with Overscan Products on the ST
and Estimated Lines of Text and Columns of Characters
Atari Std. AutoSwitch Pixel
High-Res. OverScan Wonder
----------- ----------- ----------
Monochrome (70Hz except as noted)
--------------------------------
Atari SM124 Monitor (at least)
Resolution 640x400 672x480 704x512
Lines of text (est.) 22 to 23 26 28
Columns (est.) 80 84 88
Multisync Monitor
Resolution 640x400 720-752x480 768x528 (58Hz)
Lines of text (est.) 22 to 23 26 29
Columns (est.) 80 90-94 96
Medium Resolution (color) (60Hz)
-------------------------------
Atari SC1224 Monitor
Resolution 640x200 752x240 640x350
Lines of text (est.) 20 24 35
Columns (est.) 80 94 80
Multisync Monitor
Resolution 640x200 816x240 640x350
Lines of text (est.) 20 24 35
Columns (est.) 80 102 80
Low Resolution (color) (60Hz)
----------------------------
Atari SC1224 Monitor
Resolution 320x200 384x240 384x240
Lines of text (est.) 19 23 23
Columns (est.) 39 47 47
Multisync Monitor
Resolution 320x200 400x240 400x240
Lines of text (est.) 19 23 23
Columns (est.) 39 49 49
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Sources of information for Table 1:
AutoSwitch OverScan product literature, Pixel Wonder product
literature, and D. Wilhelm's estimate of lines and characters
(columns) from the standard Atari ST desktop and WordWriter ST
displays combined with the claimed overscan resolutions.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
(End of Table)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Biographical Information on Author
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Don Wilhelm is a senior chemical engineer with a Mountain View,
California engineering consulting company. The company does technical,
economic, and market evaluations for both major domestic and
international industrial and government organizations, primarily
related to the energy sector (fuel resources, production of fuels,
petroleum refining, electric power generation, and environmental
emissions control technology). The company uses PC clones with MSDOS,
and more recently Windows, as well as a Macintosh. Don prefers the GEM
interface of his ST to the Windows interface, but has not been able to
get his company to convert to the Atari computer platform. He is also
a marriage and family therapist, currently on sabbatical from his
part-time evenings private practice. His Atari ST nicely serves the
latter business for record-keeping and correspondence. He lives in
Menlo Park.
--==--==--==--==--
||| Atari Asylum
||| By: Gregg Anderson
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.7
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome, fellow lunatics, to the Atari Asylum. Here, behind the padded
walls of our own, personal "giggle palace," we can gather and share
our experiences in the not-quite-normal world of Atari. The Asylum
seems to be a logical title for our little meeting place as the word
Asylum has several meanings. The first is as a sanctuary; a place of
refuge and safety. How safe we are here I can't say, but you're all
welcome to stick around anyway. The second definition is as a place of
rest and recuperation for those individuals suffering from (to be
polite), reality displacement. In other words, ones who's elevators
don't go all the way to the top. That seems to fit most Atari owners
to a "T" as we're all just a touch "out of it." Why own an Atari
otherwise? If we were normal we'd all have clones, right? Non-clones
are reserved for the 'not quite normal'. We're not megalomaniacs so
Mac's are out and we've not yet lost all touch with reality so we
can't own Amigas. We're just a touch fuzzy between the ears so we have
Atari's. By the way, having seen what passes for normal these days I'm
proud to say I'm a little bit odd <grin>. Besides, I've always said
that while Atari owners are the most tightly knit community in all
computerdom we're just not too tightly wrapped.
So, welcome to the Asylum my friends. We'll share our stories,
experiences, and therapy as the days roll by. This being the first
visit to the Asylum, I guess I'll have to do most of the talking but
please, feel free to send Email to me (AEO.7) or to AEO in general if
you have something you'd like to see explained, taken apart, or
otherwise talked about. In the meantime, let's take a quick look at
Atari's new Falcon030 computer before the nurse comes by with our
sleeping pills.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Compatibility Tests and a Few
//// Thoughts on the New Falcon030
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Our local Atari dealer (Computer STudio) has the new Falcon030 sitting
out for all to see. Though he can't sell it yet, Sheldon does let
potential customers look, touch, and even play with it now and then.
(He draws the line when they start drooling on the keyboard however.)
His greatest regret? That he can't sell any as the "saleable"
Falcon030s are still a few weeks in the future. He's also rather upset
that he's sold out on TT030s and MegaSTes. Of course he should have
all the TT030s and Falcon030s he can handle in a month or so, but till
then he and most other Atari dealers are a bit frustrated with the
entire situation. Still, it could have been worse. Why? Because he and
they WILL have TT030s to sell before too much longer because Atari
confirmed last week that the TT030 is going back into production due
to a ground-swell of demand. Another reason to be optimistic is that
the Falcon030 is MUCH nicer than a lot of us were fearing. It's no
TT030 but it is most definitely a step up from the MegaSTe in terms of
CPU power and overall capability.
I've spent the past week or so putting Sheldon's demo bird through its
paces on a rather large, if somewhat out of date, stockpile of
personal software and a handful of Computer STudio's software. Based
on these tests, and what I've learned of the Falcon itself while
playing with it, I have the following to report.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Compatibility
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Of course not all the news is good, after all we're talking about old
software and a totally new CPU, video/audio subsystem, DSP chip, and a
rewritten operating system. Heck, it's amazing that anything from the
old ST runs on it. But, run some of it does.
//// The Bad
First; the bad news. The following software packages are NOT
Falcon030 compatible (though a few are MegaSTe compatible):
Time Bandits (Mich) No MSTe video, just audio
Sherman M-4 (Lorimar) No MSTe either
SkyFox (EA) No MSTe either, intro screen only
Arctic Fox (EA) Same story as SkyFox
Falcon F-16 (SH) No on the MSTe, intro screen only
M-1 Tank Platoon (MP) Works on the MSTe,
F-19 (MP) Also bombs on MegaSTe
Gunship (MP) No MegaSTe's or STe's
F-15 I (MP) Tries to run but fails, runs on MSTe
FighterBomber (?) MSTe and hard drive systems need not apply
Archipelagos (?) MSTe? Forget it
F-29 Retaliator (?) No MSTe or four meg systems either
Motorhead (?) No MSTe's either
EasyDraw 2.3 (Migh) Runs in Two-Color mode only, so-so
StarGlider I (?) Uncontrollable on Falcon030 & MegaSTe
Gobliiins (?) MSTe works fine
Epic I (?) No MSTe or four Meg systems either
John Lowe's Works on the MegaSTe, though why you'd want
Ultimate Darts (?): To bother with it is beyond me.
Battle Hawks 1942 (LF): Tries to run. Loads on the Falcon030 but
colors are skewed and graphics are incomplete
or broken up. What does play is just too fast
to cope with. MegaSTe plays fine.
Civilization (MP): Runs fine, sound effects are awesome, but
the palette colors on this TOS 4.02 Falcon
are scrambled. What should be black is pink!
Heroes of the Lance (SSI): Forget it on the Falcon.
Sub Battle Simulator (Epyx): Another exercise in forgetting it; tries
to run but graphics are totally
scrambled no matter how you boot it.
//// The Good
Second; the good news. The following ARE Falcon030 compatible:
Note: I've not been able to check out ALL aspects of these programs,
but if they boot and run for 15 minutes or so then I have to assume
there are no major problems with them. Be advised that I've NOT been
able to verify any print functions in these tests.
Battle of Britain (LF): bombs on exit but plays GREAT. Smoother
animation, smarter opponents, and generally
more challenging all the way around though
not any faster (bases its play on the system
clock, NOT the CPU speed. All in all, it's
better than on the ST, STe, MegaSTe, or TT030.
Zany Golf (EA): bombs on exit to scorecard but plays very
well with sharper colors and smoother
animation than on the ST. MegaSTe playable.
EasyDraw 3.0 (Migh): Runs perfectly on the Falcon! In 640X480/256
mode it even takes advantage of the higher
resolution and greater colors with NO loss in
the aspect ratio. Though not as fast as on a
TT it loads, draws, and is noticeably faster
than on a MegaSTe in all aspects. Also takes
advantage of SpeedoGDOS (though the Speedo
fonts don't redraw quite as fast as the old
GDOS fonts did on the Falcon, I understand the
FontWidth table has to be active for EasyDraw
to take full advantage of the Speedo fonts).
By the way, you can not only use the color
tables on the .GEM images you create with
EasyDraw on the Falcon you can also color
your text. Also MegaSTe compatible.
Animate 4 (Antic): Yes, though some animation files will have
garbage on the screen. This varies from file
to file.
Transarctica (?): This one runs fine and looks very impressive.
Ishtar: The next generation of D&D role-playing games
is very impressive.
Archer McClean's Pool (?): The most impressive pool/snooker simulator
I've seen to date, and perfectly compatible
with the Falcon and MegaSTe. Drawbacks?
Copy protected floppy and a code-in
protection system that demands perfect
vision and a VERY strong source of light.
Nigel Mansell's It runs, but as I didn't have a joystick
World Championship (?): connected I can't promise perfect controls.
This one can be played ONLY with a joystick.
Fire Brigade (PS): Loads and plays fine in both ST-High/Med
Compatible modes and in Falcon 640X480 two-
color modes. Plays faster too, an advantage
in any board-based game.
UMS I (?): Same story as with Fire Brigade, much better
on the Falcon than on the original ST
StarGlider II (?): Runs and plays GREAT but had no audio on the
internal speaker, don't know about the stereo
speaker jacks though.
Dungeon Master (FTL): YES!!!! Falcon compatible! Plays as though
written for it, slow to load though.
Rogue (Epyx): YES!!! The oldest commercial ST game is
Falcon compatible, plays quite well too.
Jet (SubLogic): Yes, it does load (scrambled intro screen) and
play on the Falcon, without a joystick handy
(and the Doc's in storage out of state) I
couldn't give it a real test.
CalamusSL (IDS): YES!!! What more can I say? The most
impressive DTP package available on any
platform is Falcon030 compatible.
TruePaint (HS): Very compatible and a must-have for any Falcon
owner.
//// Wrapup
Ok, so the Falcon030's not 100% ST compatible, but given the massive
differences between it and the original Atari ST I'm amazed it's as
compatible as it is. Most productivity software seems to get along
pretty well with the new bird, in fact a lot of it thrives on the
Falcon's 16 MHz 030 and new graphics modes. Game software is, as with
the STe, another matter. For the most part the Falcon030 seems at
least as compatible as the MegaSTe when it comes to games and
noticeably more compatible than the TT030. Why complain? Battle of
Britain and Dungeon Master run on the Falcon030 and who needs anything
else?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// General Thoughts and Meanderings
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Hits
The most obvious initial hit is the standard 256 Color, 684X480 video
mode the Falcon boots with. This is a very impressive and highly
usable resolution that will spoil you fast. Granted; this mode can be
a touch slower than expected when redrawing the screen in this mode,
though still quite usable and no worse than the MAC competition. But
we don't have to live with that, while we wait for our friends at
CodeHead to release a Falcon Warp 9 we can easily speed the Falcon's
video by just reducing the number of colors displayed on the screen.
Speaking of which I want to pass on MAJOR KUDOS to the folks at Atari
that thought of, and implementing, the "set video" system. This is a
serious advancement over anything else out there in user flexibility.
Want to change your resolution, number of displayed colors, or go to
an ST compatible mode? Just head up to the Set Video menu on your
desktop and pick the flavor you want. You can select any combination
you want of 2, 4, 16, or 256 colors, 40 or 80 columns, and with or
without line doubling. Want True Color? Pick 40 column and True Color
and you're off an running for an unreal 640/320 X 240 display. That's
on a VGA monitor of course. If you're using an older 1224/1435 or a
television set then you have the interlaced modes available.
Interlace, did he say interlace? I can hear you already; "Interlace?
GACK!" Well, not always. Yes, working with an interlaced GEM desktop
or productivity program is an exercise in eyestrain that can quickly
become terminal. However, if you're working with colors such as in a
game or paint program then it's not a major problem. With the
interlace mode you have the option of 640 X 480 in TRUE COLOR for some
truly awesome color graphics and entertainment packages. This display
is so impressive that I'm a bit concerned that some games may limit
themselves to a TV or interlace mode and bypass the VGA display.
Audio; though the demo unit arrived without the fancy audio demo
software what little was available was quite impressive. Though much
maligned in the past, the mini-jacks on the back of the Falcon030 work
just fine thank you. I don't think Atari had much choice in picking
them though, there just isn't any spare room for the older style RCA
jacks back there. As soon as possible we hope to put the Audio Fun
Machine and the built-in stereo microphone jack to the test. More on
that later.
DSP Chip; This is another custom addition to the Falcon that, right
now, is not easily demoed. Why? Because like a math coprocessor the
software has to know it's there and be written to take advantage of
it. So far there's little that can do this with the Digital Signal
Processor. But don't give up, word on the streets is that there are
some very impressive packages coming out later this year that will
take full advantage of the DSP for high-speed audio, video, and other
data manipulations.
Ports: The Falcon has ports a-plenty. In fact I can think of only
two things I'd liked to have seen done differently. First is the
addition of the ASCI port (the original DMA port) or an inexpensive
SCSI-ASCI adapter. Atari assures us that a third party is working on
such an adapter but, for now at least, Falcon owners can't use Atari's
own SLM series of Laser Printers.
Finally; I wish they could have designed smaller video adapters. Video
adapters? Yep, the Falcon uses a 25-pin video jack (and uses almost
ALL those pins for one thing or another). This means you need to have
an adapter to connect your Falcon to a VGA or SC-type Atari monitor.
With these jacks, the Falcon can sense what type of monitor is
available and adjusts itself to the correct display (VGA on a VGA
monitor, Low Res or Interlace on an SC- style or TV).
All this is fine but the adapter tends to add over an inch of hardware
that sticks out behind the computer and can complicate your desk
layout. It's not a major problem by any means, but it was a bit of a
surprise. One nice surprise is that, unlike the TT030 and in a total
departure from the ST/STe line, the Falcon was designed to be used
with almost ANY VGA monitor. Well done Sunnyvale! When the Falcon's
specific vertical, horizontal, and bandwidth frequencies are released,
I'll try and post a listing of compatible monitors here.
MultiTOS: Much ballyhooed and discussed, MultiTOS turns out to be
almost idiot proof and VERY flexible. It allows almost unlimited user
access and control of its features. In fact, it may offer a bit too
much access via the "U" Drive. The what? Don't worry about it yet,
I'll let others fill in the blanks on that subject. It's also easy to
use and is easy to switch between applications. The number of active
applications doesn't seem to have as large an impact on speed as I'd
expected. I have to admit though that, even with no applications
running, there's a noticeable slow down when MTOS is in use. This may
be unique to the early version of MTOS running on this particular demo
machine so don't assume this will be the case when the production
machines arrive.
//// Misses
The first miss is the keyboard from Tarpon Springs (sponge capital of
the US). Sorry guys, but you spoiled me with the Mega/MegaSTe/TT030
keyboard and the Falcon's just feels too much like the old 520's
keyboard. Granted; the Falcon is the new BASE LEVEL unit and is
replacing the 520/1040 line. Even so, I'd have liked to have seen a
somewhat crisper keyboard.
Video: Why is no interlace mode available for VGA monitors? I know
that to operate on a TV or SC1224/1435 the Falcon uses a 15Khz sweep
frequency in low and interlaced high res modes. But why can't VGA
owners have access to interlace while using the 31Khz (estimated)
sweep used by VGA units? From what I understand, most VGA and
multisync units should be able to accept an interlaced signal.
On the interlaced mode itself, let me repeat myself: "Don't even think
of using it for productivity applications". It would drive a blind man
insane in no time. However color images (games, paint programs like
True Paint, etc.) are no problem in interlace mode and high res true
color images in True Paint and VGA/Targa style slide shows, to
paraphrase Billy Crystal, "look simply mahvulus."
--==--==--==--==--
||| Falcon030 User Sighting
||| By: Joseph Turner
/ | \ Delphi: ATARIPOWER7
------------------------------------------------------------------
I sit here, having just polished off some delicious fried chicken,
knowing that I really should be careful eating around my ORPHANe.
Everything else can wait. My soul is moved, my eyes have seen, my
ears have heard.... I want a Falcon030, and I know I must have it.
When I saw the CeBIT93 demo on the Falcon030 at Morrison Computers, in
Orlando, FL, I understood something that usually only a parent could
understand; that feeling a father gets deep inside when his son slinks
in, his tush having been whipped by some kid down the block.
That feeling passed quickly, that was no stranger kicking the rump of
my trusty, reliable ORPHANe (Mega STe). That was his cousin. And from
all appearances, that cousin is on the tough side of the family.
As I arrived at Morrison Computers, two customers were leaving, one
was arriving, and the store already had a crowded air. The first thing
about the Falcon030 that got my attention was that the Falcon desktop
is beautiful!!!! I had brought along the CeBIT93 demo from the ST
Databases on Delphi, and fortunately I was able to pull a fast one and
get John Morrison to load it and run it, thanks to the request of the
other customer....
Let's be serious, if you're a dealer reading this, you're crazy if you
think you can sell lots of Falcon030s by showing customers the
"Standard stuff." Instead, you cut to the chase, and bust your rump to
provide top notch customer service. Maybe you give your customers a
handful or two of floppies with the neat PD and shareware stuff for
the Falcon030, and sell!! Being afraid to let a customer touch your
Falcon030, or not having the stuff to blow his/her mind just makes you
PC bait... DOS worm... Mac lure... or whatever. Victory doesn't go to
the timid or faint of heart, it'll go to the one with the mostest and
the bestest!
A VGA monitor was hooked to the Falcon030, but a dialog on the demo
application told us that a RGB monitor was required. The SC1224 needed
to be adjusted for the 50Hz refresh rate, and when it was... well,
you'd be ASTOUNDED at how good our normal ST Color monitors can
look!!! The Falcon030 was hooked to a nice stereo system, set up for a
little reverb, and when it began, I no longer gave a hoot about
detached keyboard, multiple serial ports and such. I wanted to sign
adoption papers immediately, and get my orphan a big brother he really
needs!
John showed us a couple of other demos, the usual complaints about
MultiTOS being slow were made (my views about this issue are explained
later!), and despite his cautious attitude, I could feel a sense of
relief, a real live Falcon030 was in at last. The only thing left to
do is to get more, cut the timid bit, and get cookin'!
I've heard complaints that TOS 4 in 256 colors with an accelerator
looks like TOS 1.4 without an accelerator. Sure, divide 256 by 16 and
what ya get? Right, 16. Sounds like somebody's complaining about being
able to handle 16 times as many colors at a higher resolution and make
it look as fast, Ok, how about your car getting 16 times the mileage
for the same gallon, and longer miles to boot, gonna gripe about it
not running as fast? I think not!!!!! Complaint also was made thus:
<Message 54430 6-MAY 19:13 General Information, by Bryedewaard>
".... MTOS was barely usable in this mode (640x480xx256). After seeing
some demos on this thing, it's easy to see how fast it really is, but
it's hard to give up software acceleration for any period of time.
...."
I have one comment about this, "Let the blind lead the blind, and both
shall fall into the ditch". I'm not too hip on the idea of tricking
myself into comparing apples and oranges so I can knock on peaches!!!!
The speed varies from miraculous to plain old fast, and I'm not about
to call true color graphics with smooth eight plane scrolling,
accompanied by the cleanest, purest most awesome sound I've ever heard
come from any computer, slow! My ORPHANe could just barely handle the
sound, if that! Not to mention the other stuff - look at what a
Falcon030 can do by seeing what a demo offers:
> Name: CEBIT93 DEMO
> Type: PROGRAM
> Date: 24-APR-1993 19:36 by DAVIDSHORR
> Size: 752146 Count: 4
>
> CeBit93 is a little Demo for the ATARI Falcon030 (not for ST or TT !!!)
> written for the CeBit'93-fair in Hannover, just to say hello to all the
> other ATARI-freaks hanging around there and to show them that the demo-
> scene is heading towards the Falcon-capabilities.
> It was released under the TWID-label, coded by Duke of The Respectables
> with nice grafix done by Tyrem (using the brilliant Eclipse-Paint a sort
> of Truecolor-Neochrome), McFly (Title-Pic) and some GIFF-Pics.
> The sound is a 25Khz sample played in loop-mode, it is called
> "our darkness" and was performed by Anne Clark.
>
> So what are you about to see?
> 1. some realtime rotated, bended and zoomed letters.
> 2. truecolor starfield with 32 greyscales
> 3. text zooming stuff
> 4. 8 plane finescrolling of a nice girl (our female member, hmmm..)
> (if you want to see the lower part of the picture contact us,
> you horney dude!!)
> 5. Blitter-processed textscrolling
>
> Keywords: OTHER, CEBIT93, FALCON030, TRUECOLOR, TWID
>
And, it was Totally Awesome!!!!!!
Complaining about the Falcon030 in the way I've seen up to now amounts
to be as logical as complaining about the fuel consumption of a lawn
tractor as compared to that of a lawn mower, while ignoring the fact
that the tractor is cutting a swath many times wider!
Let's get real. I know this article is not a review of the Falcon030.
It's a call for some common sense in more of the Atari community, an
appeal to cut the bickering, the stupid complaining, and the useless
speculation, usually negative, about Atari. I see no problem, other
than what's in lots of people's heads. Atari is run by very
individualistic people. I'm that way, too. The powers that be will do
it their way, just like I would do it my way.
I've owned Atari computers since December of 1988, and I do not envy
nor feel any jealousy toward any DOS, PC, Mac or other computer users.
What I have is GREAT, what I saw at Morrison Computers is BETTER! The
old saying that you get more flies with honey than with vinegar comes
to mind. I'm not about to whine and complain now - kudos to Atari
Corp. and to all concerned, and thank you!
--==--==--==--==--
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- --==--==-- Delphi Sign-Up Information --==--==-- --
-- --
-- To enroll as a Delphi subscriber, modem call 1-800-365-4636. Press --
-- [Return] once or twice, and type IP26 [Return] at Password: --
-- --
-- Answer all of the questions, and you'll be cleared for Delphi --
-- access in a few days. If you have questions about Delphi services, --
-- give a voice call to Delphi Member Services at 1-800-544-4005. --
-- --
-- --==--==-- Delphi Sign-Up Information --==--==-- --
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| Civilization comes to Atari!
||| By: Travis Guy
/ | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG Delphi: AEO_MAG
------------------------------------------------------------------
MicroProse has long been noted for its excellent line of computer
simulations; quality I can personally attest to, having spent many a
sleepless night engrossed in a MicroProse world. Over the years, they
built upon their wargame line (by far, some of the best microcomputer
wargames), and branched out into competitive economic simulations
(Railroad Tycoon), culminating in what may be their biggest and best
yet: Civilization, a simulation of Human History.
Civilization takes the best from two classic computer games, Seven
Cities of Gold and Empire, and forges an addictive, thoroughly
enjoyable game - one of the best I've played in years! You start out
by creating the world you will play on. Here, several variables may be
altered: land mass size, age of the planet, a wet or dry biosphere. If
you'd rather stick to the old stomping ground, the Earth is available
as a default.
Next, you choose the difficulty level, pick your tribe's name (and
your own) and the number of computer opponents you'll face.
(Civilization is a one-human player game.) Your tribe is given some
basic knowledge (really basic - like how to build roads and irrigate
land, and if you're lucky, how to make pottery or work bronze!), and
then dropped somewhere onto the face of your world, with one or two
bands of settlers, in the year 4000 B.C.
Your first obstacle is to find some suitable terrain to support your
first city. Every map square is rated for: Food, Production Resource,
and Trade Values, Movement Point Costs, and Defensive Bonuses, so you
have to find the right spot to provide enough nearby raw material to
allow you to quickly grow. As the map is blank to begin with (you have
a one square radius Zone of Influence), you have to explore to find
what you need. Shades of Seven Cities, you'll often run across
"goodies" - villages that may contain Civilization Advances, gold
pieces, friendly folk who may join your military (or who may
incorporate into your civ as a city)... or hostile barbarians you'll
have to fight off.
The terrain is littered with various goodies (Gems, Gold, Coal, Oil,
Wild Game, Horses) that can enhance its value in one way or another.
Food is needed to sustain current population and an excess of food
will go to increasing a city's population. Production Resources are
needed to build a city's infrastructure (granaries, temples, nuclear
power plants), military units, and Wonders of the World. A square's
Trade value can be translated into Luxuries (keeps the people happy),
Tax Revenues (pays the bills), and... ahh... Lightbulbs (well, it's
what the screen shows - it's really a way to measure CivAdvance
Research - Civilization Tip #1: learn Bronze Working quickly or die).
But don't get too involved yet - you still have to get your first city
going, because other civs will settle and begin to rise quickly. In my
first game, I took so long (hundreds of years in fact!) wandering
around, that before I settled my first city, I noticed that other civs
had began to build armies! (That game ended quickly, and ignominiously.)
Once you have established a city, your next task is to build military
units that can defend it. After that, your decisions are up to you.
Build infrastructure or build new settler units to make the area
around your city more productive? Or maybe you want to start another
city. Or maybe you'll find yourself in a life-and-death struggle with
a neighboring civ where military units are all important.
If your civ is successful in surviving past the first thousand years
or so, you'll need to start planning for the long haul. How to
do that is best determined by the situation you find yourself in.
With a lot of large, aggressive neighbors, you should plan for a war
economy; if you find yourself alone, with "land, lots of land, under
starry skies above...", you can adopt a technology-based economy.
You have advisors and on-line help to assist you in deciding what to
produce. Automatic advice can be turned on and off (I suggest you
leave it off - see the Bugs section below), and a right mouse button
click on any item in a menu will call up encyclopedia screens.
Civilization Tip #2: Don't overlook the value of some Wonders of the
World, from ancient (the Hanging Gardens, Pharos, Pyramids) to modern
(Apollo & Manhattan Projects, Cure for Cancer).
You will have to balance your peoples' welfare with their protection,
always with an eye on their happiness. If the ratio of happy to
unhappy people in a city gets out of balance, the city will go into
civil unrest. Production in that city will stop, taxes can't be
collected, and no research can be conducted. (The manual warns that
any nuclear power plants operating under civil unrest can suffer a
meltdown.)
As time goes by, and your civ's knowledge grows, you can take
advantage of different forms of government: Despotism, Monarchy,
Communism, Republicanism, and Democracy. Each type offers advantages
- typically, the more advanced the government, the greater the
economic advantages, but ever-so-slight shackles are placed on
military deployments.
Whichever route you take, one other rule is to never overlook
defenses! Barbarians, local guerillas, and aggressive civs on other
continents with well developed navies can always pop up to harass
you. You should develop a good network of roads, rail and fast
response military units to quell any uprising.
The other civilizations you will encounter are drawn from history, and
are lead by historical leaders. Napoleon likes to conquer; Stalin
expands quickly, but may not devote enough time and resources to
develop his cities. Hammurabi, Gandhi and Mao look to build a strong
civilization, and typically aren't aggressive. The dozen or so
civilizations that can be thrown in the mix help make each game a
challenge.
//// The End of Time
Civilization, the game, continues until you die, until you have
conquered all other civs, or until time runs out - you can play until
well into the 21st century A.D.. Another way to win (the preferred
method) is to gain enough knowledge (and enough production capacity,
and enough Peace on Earth) to build a starship to be the first civ to
put colonists on Alpha Centauri.
Civilization is green, something I like. One of the drawbacks in
achieving a totally modern civ is the generation of pollution. How
best to combat the pollution is left up to you - build Mass Transit,
Recycling Centers, Hydro & Nuclear Power (the manual says to watch out
for Civil Unrest around a Nuclear Plant, though!), or clean-up crews.
Too much pollution in the world (by itself, or combined with the
effects of nuclear weapon usage) will create global warming - altering
the planet's biosphere. Food production will slow, and your people
will start to die off.
You can alter the difficulty level of the computer opponents at the
beginning of each game. I've managed to win at all levels, and in all
ways (though I haven't even started building on an Emperor-level
starship yet), and even after weeks of "Is THAT what time it is!?!"
playing, Civilization keeps drawing me back for more.
//// Uh-ohs
Civilization isn't perfect. There have been many reports of bugs
resulting in random crashings in the Atari version, but with careful
planning (i.e., don't use the instant advisors, and don't let too
many cities go into civil unrest) you can enjoy the game. I play
Civilization on my TT030, and aside from some "mouse droppings" and
what appears to be a mixed-up final "Hall of the Conquered" screen, I
have very few problems with the game:
You can save up to 10 game positions, but the menu that asks for the
drive you want to save to/load from always sends you to the directory
you run the game from.
Upon exiting Civilization (either by retiring or by using the "Quit
to DOS" (!) option) the screen colors on my machine do not return to
my defaults, and the keyclick response and repeat settings are
altered.
There is a file on Disk 3 (or Disk C) named SLAM2.LBM that
apparently needs to be renamed SLAM2.BBM. Elseways, if you win a game
by conquering all other civs, the machine crashes. I encountered this,
I renamed my work SLAM2 file, and ever since, no crashes.
On my TT030, the "Replay" offered at the end of a game runs by too
fast to be of much use. dB^)
You may use the mouse or an extensive suite of keyboard commands to
carry out your orders onscreen, which is great. What isn't is that
Civilization uses its own non-GEM menu interface, and doesn't appear
to be MultiTOS friendly.
And for those of you who have heard of the "Super Settler" cheat on
other platforms - yes, it works in the Atari version. (EMail my online
addresses and I'll share how the cheat works.)
//// What Civilization Provides
Civilization comes on 4 DSDD non-copy protected diskettes. An install
program will let you easily install Civilization on a hard drive -
which is highly recommended. (2.2 megs of filespace is needed to
install on a hard drive.) A 16 page Atari manual, along with a generic
128 page manual (with background notes, designer's notes, and lots of
text to flesh out the mechanics) continue the long line of quality
MicroProse documentation.
//// Summary
Civilization is a true "guns and butter" simulation. A "god game"
without any mystical, magical overtones (except that you "live" for
6000 years!). All of the elements the designers sought to bring
together gel quite nicely, and they create a totally believable world
here. MicroProse U.K. is working on a fix for the problems in the
current version - I say Civilization is worth owning now, despite the
few known bugs, and when the fix arrives, I see no reason not to buy
this classic!
Sid Meier's Civilization by MicroProse U.K.
Graphics: Good
Sound: Good
Documentation: MicroProse (that means excellent!)
Gameplay: Highly Addictive
Overall: First Rate
Requires: Atari ST, STe, TT030 (not fully tested on a Falcon030) with
1 Mb of RAM and a color monitor. Hard drive recommended, but not
required.
The review copy of this game was kindly provided to AEO by a proud
Atari-only dealer, Steve Kipker of
STeve's Software Sales
5 West Street
Woodland, CA 95695
Info: 916-661-3328
GEnie: S.KIPKER
Delphi: ATARISALES
--==--==--==--==--
||| News from Usenet
||| By: Timothy Wilson
/ | \ Internet: wilsont@rahul.net GEnie: AEO.8
------------------------------------------------------------------
This past month saw the creation and use of comp.sys.atari.advocacy.
Basically, most of the flame wars have been diverted to this new
group. I give a general warning about any .advocacy group, there
isn't any Sysop hanging over head, its a maximum flame zone.
Thankfully, this makes my job easier. I no longer have to filter
through the Atari vs. XXXX wars that show up from time to time on
the comp.sys.atari.st group.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Civilization... it's broke, can the Internet guys fix it? :)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
The netters dug up a few email adresses for MicroProse:
MicroProse@aol.com
76004.2223@compuserve.com
Mail 'em and tell them what's wrong, but please, be calm about it.
One netter posted that MicroProse UK would exchange his original disks
for updated copies.
Pascal Roche {proche@imag.fr} used MonST to debug a problem with the
status of far away cities. When the corruption loss is higher than the
revenues, a bus error (2 bombs) occurs.
To fix this he suggests:
In sector 176 of file GAME.PRG, look for the sequence
3F03 3F02 2F39 0006 024E 4EB9 0005 737E 4FEF 0014,
change it to
6000 000E 2F39 0006 024E 4E71 4E6E D03B 4FEF 000C
I personally sugguest a backup of game.prg first... DO NOT TRY THIS
ON THE ORIGINAL!!!!
Our own Travis Guy told me that shutting off your Advisors would help out.
After posting this info, I got a reply back that this won't help for
the major crashes, but clears up other bugs.
In spite of the solutions that I wrote of last month, problems persist.
It looks like MicroProse is working on it though.
I don't own this game, it seems to be quite the rage to MicroProse's
credit. But I fail to see how they could have released such a buggy
version. The major problem is that one can't win the game on Prince
level. I would expect any game tester at M.P. to have found this bug
before they released it.
I still haven't even seen the game yet, but I'll wait till the bugs are
fixed.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Dealer Falcon030's at last
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Of course you've heard, the Demo Falcon030's have arrived at your local
dealer. This was quite a hot thread as they popped up throughout the
country these past few months. Many cases of the CeBit demo being installed
on the above mentioned units :), and one Pagestream.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// TT030 - Dead or alive?
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Well, this thread popped up on the internet too, if you don't know by
now, TT030s aren't dead, and they are still being manufactured as the
orders come in.
I was suprised by the amount of people who said that they already knew
that the TT030 had stopped production. I live 45 miles from Atari and
haven't heard a whiff of this. (Well, I don't get out much either.
:^) Anyways, it's not true, TT030s are still being made, and are in
demand.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// More SPICE info
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
If you'd like to use SPICE, the helpful EE's tool for circuit simulation
on your Atari, Steve Miller {smiller@farad.elee.calpoly.edu} sugguests
FTP'ing the SPICELINE demo from atari.archive. It's a German product,
that unfourtunately, doesn't have a US price yet.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// MIDI show summary
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
In this case, I'll keep the original post intact (minus the headers tho')
Richard Parr {thumpy@dcs.qmw.ac.uk} of the Department of Computer Science,
QMW, University of London wrote:
"I popped along to the MIDI & Electronic Music Show last Friday, and I have
to say I was very happy to see the level of support for the Falcon there.
Highlights included:
Harman Audio demo'ing Cubase Audio - running 8 tracks of digital
audio of the machine @ 44.1KHz sampling rate (they use an external
clock to genera te the 44.1KHz frequency - it'll come with the
s/w). The software displays audio on-screen along with MIDI
sequence tracks. It can also use RAM either as a cache to make up
for a slow (ie not blindingly fast) hard disk, or as a simple
sampler. Each audio track has an effect send, but don't expect
pro-quality reverb, cos the DSP is quite busy routing the audio
already. Steinberg see the product as NOT pro-quality (it is
limited by the Falcons A/D and D/A converters - they may release a
higher quality 2in/2out board depending on demand) but as a VERY
GOOD introduction to hard - disk recording. Release predicted:
June/July.
Compo Software (?) did a BIG push for the Falcon - demo'ing Cubase
3.0, their FX processor s/w and the Tina Turner video/audio demo.
"This is the future of music computing..." the man said. They also
showed off a very nice drawing program, running in 256 colours with
German menus... looked powerful, but I have to say it looked a bit
slow when compared to my (humble) Mac II running various packages.
They also advertised their Falcon Tower - a big box to put your
Falcon motherboard in and plug in a PC keyboard.
ABC Music and another dealer I can't remember had D2D's 4TFX and
2-Track hard disk recording programs - they look OK, but the UI
could do with some work. Compared with Cubase Audio's lovely
custom windows, poor old GEM looks, well, crap. One advantage the
4TFX program (4 Track recorder) should have over the Steinberg
software is it's predicted external hardwa re giving 2 high quality
A/D converters, 4 D/A converters plus digital I/O.
There were still loads of ST's around as well. I'd say Atari
outnumbered other all other types of computer at the show - Macs were
few and far-betwee n but PC's seem to be getting more popular. What a
horrible thought..."
Thanks Richard! Hows that for technology? Zapped straight across the
Atlantic to here!
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// A TT030 on an Australian game show
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I couldn't pass this one up,
Nino Benci {rdt154k@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au} sighted an Atari TT
as a prize for "Sale of the Century", a quiz show in Australia.
Color monitor and software included. The prize value was quoted
at $2900.00 (AUS)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// GEM++ library announced for GNU C++
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Warwick Allison {warwick@cs.uq.oz.au} posted this announcement.
(I'll leave this post alone too, I might dull my axe)
Available from atari.archive.umich.edu in the /atari/Programming
directory.
GEM++ is a class library for C++ that adds a layer of abstraction to
the GEM/AES/VDI system functions.
Included are all sources, makefiles, and an EXAMPLE program - ready
compiled, so you don't even need a compiler to see what it is all
about. The example program simply exercises a few of the features of
the library.
A large range of classes are available, representing most of the GEM
concepts:
FILE CLASS : BASE DESCRIPTION
-------- --------------------- --------------------------------------
-
gemap GEMapplication - One for every program.
gemda GEMdeskaccessory
: GEMapplication - One for every desk accessory.
gemr GEMrsc - Loads and frees RSC files.
gema GEMactivity - A user interaction - the main loop.
geme GEMevent - A GEMactivity generates these.
gemfb GEMfeedback - The result of GEMevent processing.
gemks GEMkeysink - Key event consumer in a GEMactivity.
gemt GEMtimer - Timer event consumer in a GEMactivity.
gemw GEMwindow - Standard GEM windows.
gemf GEMform - Standard GEM forms / dialog boxes.
gemm GEMmenu
: GEMform - Standard GEM menus are forms.
gemhf GEMhotform
: GEMform - A GEMform that with extra features.
gemfw GEMformwindow
: GEMwindow, GEMform - A GEMform in a GEMwindow.
gemfiw GEMformiconwindow
: GEMformwindow - Iconifiable GEMformwindow.
gemd GEMdesktop
: GEMformwindow - Standard GEM desktops are forms.
img IMG - Standard GEM image format.
vdi VDI - Standard GEM vdi calls.
gemrawo GEMrawobject - GEMforms are made up of these.
gemo GEMobject - Extensible layer on GEMrawobject.
gemsl GEMslider
: GEMobject - A slider extension.
gemto GEMtextobject
: GEMobject - A text extension.
gemimgo GEMimageobject
: GEMobject, IMG - An extension that displays an IMG.
gemuo GEMuserobject
: GEMobject - Extension with user defined graphics
gemvo GEMvdiobject
: GEMuserobject - User graphics drawn using a VDI.
gemal GEMalert - Standard GEM alert boxes.
gemfs GEMfileselector - Standard GEM file selector.
gemsb GEMstreambuf
: streambuf - Interprocess communication.
gemrec GEMrecorder - Records GEM events.
GEM++ has been developed with the GNU C++ compiler (G++), and so I
can't garauntee it will work on other compilers (but hey, if you
manufacture a C++ compiler for the Atari ST/TT, give me a free copy
and I'll gladly port GEM++ to use it!).
GEM++ is Free software, protected by the GNU Library General Public
License, which basically means you can use it for free, and even SELL
it, or sell any programs you write using it. You just have to
distribute (or make available ) the ***GEM++*** sources (not your own
code) with the product. And you can't get much fairer than that!
(MOST OF) THE NEW THINGS IN GEM 1.5 SINCE GEM++ 1.2:
- Detailed manual entries for every class.
- Added user-loaded RSC files (as opposed to GEM loaded single RSC file)
- Scroll bars now fully automated - even with GEMformwindow.
- Added new class: GEMformiconwindow - iconifiable windows!
- Vastly extended GEMslider interface - matches window slider conventions.
- Moved GEMmenu::DoItem(...) up to GEMform::DoItem() - allow the simple
interface of GEMmenu to be used on all GEMforms.
- Updated VDI to latest standard (thanks Bammi!)
- Added extension methods to GEMhotform.
- Added example desk accessory.
- Added new examples to example.cc.
- Improved overall consistency of filenames and classnames.
- Added etc/default.mak to avoid set-up problems.
- Top-level include file is now "gem++.h", not "gem.h".
- Added split main-loop to GEMactivity.
- Added direct-text and PRINTF-style GEMalerts
- Improved completeness of GEMevent
- Added GEMform::Map() - object traversal
- Moved GEMrealobject to own file, and renamed to GEMrawobject.
- Heaps of bug fixes, including bringing GNU C++ 2.3.3 compatibility.
Sorry I don't distribute GEM++ in patches yet. It has been quite dynamic
in the past - but is settling down a lot now, especially since I used it
to write my GEM port of NetHack.
Any help you need in setting up GEM++ or GNU C++, I'm right here on
the net.
--------------
"AMS" a C++ game library is also being developed by Warwick.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Upcoming Lynx games
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>From: alt.games.lynx, Sean Simpson {dragon@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu}
got a hold of a upcoming Lynx games list.
Battlezone 2000 Eye of the Beholder Cabal
Full Court Press Jimmy Connors Tennis Malibu Beach Volleyball
Rai-Den Road Riot 4WD Super Asteroid/Missle Cmd.
Euro. Tourny Soccer Ninja Gaiden III Demonsgate
Heavyweight Contender Lemmings Ninja Nerd
Vindicators Rolling Thunder Gordo 106
That's it for this time, go ahead and drop me a bit of email and tell
me what type of information you would like to see. I try to be as
broad as I can, there might be a lot of you who want down 'n dirty
technical details, I won't know unless you mail me.
I won't be posting 'new files at atari.archive' this time, because the
list is huge! about 100 new files showed up. In the future, I'm
thinking of providing more of a mini-review section for interesting
files, but I only have a 2400 baud modem, :( so gimme a break.
Remember you can use BART to access files from atari.archive!
--==--==--==--==--
||| PC Emulators
||| By: Andreas Barbiero
/ | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The IBM PC undoubtably has one of the largest software bases in the
computer world. While most of the things you would do on a PC are done
better and faster on the Atari, there are those out there who need to
run Turbo Tax, or some other PC specific software. Emulation of the
Intel processor on the Atari's Motorola is a tricky process, and
increasingly more expensive to implement when compared to the rapidly
falling PC prices.
The Atari is a totally different beast from the PC, (As if we didn't
already know that!) with the way it handles graphics modes, audio
output, and manages memory. Graphics handling is the most critical
part of all this. Standard VGA cannot be emulated from a stock ST, and
ST high is usually used to emulate VGA Monochrome. Don't expect to
play Wing Commander on your ST!
The only existing external PC emulator is the SuperCharger, which has
had its share of problems with compatability and service here in the
USA, and even though this solution uses external hardware, there is no
real 256 color VGA support as of yet. One good thing is that any
memory you add to the Supercharger is accessable to the ST for a
RAMdisk.
There is also another drawback to emulating a PC - speed! This is
mostly only tied to the pure software emulators like PC-Ditto, which
convert commands designed for an Intel into those intelligible on a
ST. This piece of software is fantastic considering what it does, and
is a great way to cheaply run DOS, if you are not concerned about
speed. It does run on a Mega STe at 16MHz, which makes it almost
usable for occasional DOS applications.
There are only a few realistic options as to PC emulation. The first
is the Vortex ATonce 386. This is a 16MHz 80386 computer on a card for
the ST and the STe. Again the only color mode is the old CGA, but
640X400 of the 640x480 Monochrome VGA can be used, and works well. The
biggest feature of this emulator is the fact that it IS a '386, and
allows you to use a fast math co-processor to bring this unit up to
usable speeds. For monochrome work, a 16MHz '386 with cheap math
coprocessor is more than sufficient to run most business applications.
1.44MEG floppies are supported, as well as DOS harddrive partitions.
The slower, and cheaper PC Speed and AT Speed cards do a similar job
as the ATonce and are installed similarly by attaching the card to or
in-place of the 68000 chip. Since most STe's have socketed CPU chips,
installation is easier than on older machines where a socket needs to
be installed or the board soldered in. I have tried to research
information on the VME card emulators, but I was unable to find any
reliable information about them. If anyone can supply this
information, I would be happy to publish it in the future.
PC Speed is a pure XT emulator with a Norton SI of around 4. This is
sufficient for basic word processing, but for a few dollars more, AT
Speed has a 8MHz '286 onboard, allowing for slightly faster
performance and MonoVGA. An 8.7 Norton SI rating is earned witht the
AT Speed C16, which is a 16MHz '286 with an optional '287 math
co-processor. If you want to go with a '286, go for the AT Speed C16,
and by all means try and find the money for the '386 Vortex- which is
still slightly cheaper than a stand alone PC, and suitable for casual,
or single application use. If all you need to run is one program,
this path should be sufficient. If you are really adventurous, for
$200 to $300 you can try a surplus PC-XT or AT that may not run
faster, and will take up desk space, but will accept a $25 VGA card
and turn into a simple GIF viewer.
The best storage option for this type of work is a Syquest drive.
Having 44 or 88 megs of storage on a cart for you ST, a cart for the
MAC, and a cart for the PC is an extremely easy and efficient way to
get harddrives to work with the emulators available. A large fixed
drive can be used to run these too, but you have to permenantly
dedicate a portion of your harddrive out to a PC or MAC partition. Of
course the MAC emulator supported by Dave Small is a far more
efficient a emulator than the equivalent emulators for the PCs! BUT
there is some hope. With the arrival of the Falcon030's better than
VGA graphics, and quick bus, even the announced '286 board for the
Falcon030, better than '386 speed should be achievable for about
$100!! A '486 is promised, and with the processor direct connector,
access to the full power of the Falcon030 can be had, and applied to
DOS applications. This is a machine that the new PC games could be
played on easily. As the Spectre GCR allows for better than MAC access
to drives, the Falcon030's SCSI 2 port can allow for some screaming
hard drive access.
If you are serious about diving into the world of INI files and
un-installing programs, fighting with DOS commands, and all the rest
of the PC world fun, get a real PC. If you want the most flexible
applications around... stay with your Atari!
--==--==--==--==--
||| GEnie Atari ST RoundTable News
||| Courtesy: GEnie Atari ST RT (with thanks to John Hartman!)
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Atari RT Weekly News 5.1
= GENIE SYSTEM NEWS =
New Usage Guidelines and Terms and Conditions...........*POLICY
GEnie Services has revised its Usage Guidelines, as well as its Terms and
Conditions. These revisions become effective Sunday, May 16, 1993.
Please be sure to review these new documents by typing *POLICY or POLICY
at any GEnie menu prompt.
= CURRENT DARLAH'S TREATS =
DARLAH'S TREAT F2_DEMO.LZH Option 9 on PAGE 475
FLASH II DEMO - version 2.1
You'll be able to test as many of Flash II's features as possible
in this demo version. Naturally, many features of the program are
either disabled or limited. Product support is available in the
Atari RT Bulletin Board Category 8, Topic 2. Uploaded by Missionware
Software.
= BANNERS =
28678 - MISSIONW.ARC Missionware (Flash II) RTC 5May93
28679 - BRODIE9.ARC May Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie
Pirates Revisited: Now available for your downloading
pleasure, DABRUMLEVE on behalf of the IAAD, shares a
second file to update and correct the IAAD's report on
software theft, file # 28700. Download it now.
= ATARI LIBRARY =
= LAST MONTH'S NEW PRESS RELEASES =
------------------------------------------------------
28700 PIR_BBS2.LZH X DABRUMLEVE 930510 9472 61 14
Desc: Update/Corrections to PIR_BBS.LZH
28672 TP_SPEDO.TXT X ORA.TECH 930508 4480 95 14
Desc: TruePaint now with SpeedoGDOS(tm)
28671 CN_OL.TXT X PMC.INC 930508 1536 97 14
Desc: Help create a new online paper
28656 CT_HELP.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930506 2560 11 14
Desc: CT AtariFest Helpers Meetings
28635 EMPRES10.TXT X S.GARRIGUS 930504 3712 68 14
Desc: Announcing EmailMan by SRG Software!
28632 SPEEDO.TXT X COMPO 930504 3328 296 14
Desc: SPEEDO for your Atari!
28626 CNMAY93.ASC X JOE.WATERS 930503 3584 77 14
Desc: CN Editorial Describing May'93 Issue
28586 DIGITAPE.TXT X CODEHEAD 930430 2560 188 14
Desc: CodeHead Announces DigiTape!
28580 CTHOTELS.LZH X B.GOCKLEY 930429 6912 21 14
Desc: WHERE TO STAY FOR CT ATARIFEST '93
28577 FIESTA93.LZH X C.CASSADAY 930429 4096 36 14
Desc: Fiesta Atari '93 - San Antonio, TX
28562 CTBYCAR.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930427 4352 38 14
Desc: GETTING TO CT ATARIFEST '93 BY CAR
28561 CTRAIL.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930427 5248 11 14
Desc: CT ATARIFEST '93 BY RAIL, BUS & LIMO
28559 CTBYAIR.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930427 4736 4 14
Desc: GETTING TO CT ATARIFEST '93 BY AIR
28542 KCSHOW.TXT X B.WELSCH 930425 1664 37 14
Desc: Kansas city atarifest press release
28541 PIR_BBS.LZH X D.A.BRUMLEVE 930425 28544 289 14
Desc: Report on Pirate BBSs by the IAAD
28506 CTLYNX.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930422 3456 11 14
Desc: Lynx Tournament at CT AtariFest
28487 SQIIPREV.TXT X K.GERDES 930420 3840 105 14
Desc: Squish II sneak preview text file
28485 PMC_CO.TXT X PMC.INC 930420 2560 43 14
Desc: 2 Conferences with PMC, be there!
28459 MARCEL21.TXT X MARCEL.CA 930416 2688 111 14
Desc: Marcel Word Proc. Press Rel. v2.1
28454 ADDRCHNG.TWP X P-DIRECT 930415 1664 125 14
Desc: Falcon mag update, Addr change, more
28452 CAF93_02.TXT X B.GOCKLEY 930415 2944 73 14
Desc: CT AtariFest '93 Announcements
28417 CH_VERS.TXT X ST.LOU 930413 2944 140 14
Desc: Updated CodeHead Products List
28406 INNOVATR.TXT X D.FINCH7 930412 1792 46 14
Desc: CT ATARIANS SEEK HOME INNOVATORS
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST MONTH'S NEW DEMO RELEASES =
------------------------------------------------------
28705 MC20CONV.LZH X C.MULLER3 930511 20480 2 10
Desc: Convert MEGA-Check to new version
28684 GEMVLOPD.LZH X R.RICHARDS2 930509 34432 50 10
Desc: Latest GEMvelope w/DeskJet & more
28668 PACIFIC.ZIP X S.KIPKER 930507 188928 22 10
Desc: Demo of Pacific Island/Special...
28661 COCATGIF.LZH X W.PARKS3 930507 48128 44 10
Desc: GIF Cataloger Demo HPDJ/LJ/SLM804
28646 TERMFIN.ZIP X J.ROY18 930505 149632 40 10
Desc: A great demo for the Falcon!
28634 EMDEMO10.ARC X S.GARRIGUS 930504 37504 31 10
Desc: EmailMan Demo from SRG Software!
28629 DSP_FRAC.ZIP X N.KOWALEWSKI 930504 19328 26 10
Desc: DSP Fractal for Falcon030
28607 SONNETS.LZH X BAGET 930502 54400 17 10
Desc: Study Aid to the Great Sonnets
28595 MEGACHCK.LZH X C.MULLER3 930501 244608 80 10
Desc: The Ultimate Finance Manager
28594 TAPECD.LZH X C.HEGGERUD 930501 68992 57 10
Desc: Make tapes from CDs, LPs, or tapes
28568 UVK58DMO.ZIP X GRMEYER 930427 86400 67 10
Desc: Ultimate Virus Killer v5.8 (demo)
28530 DEMO_DG.ZIP X DRAGONWARE 930424 60288 97 10
Desc: Fully Functional D_GRAPH demo!
28520 AWARI.LZH X HAINES 930423 178688 42 10
Desc: Ultimate two player modem game!
28489 TITEDEMO.LZH X A.GERVAIS 930420 64128 96 10
Desc: Small's beautiful! Super text editor
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST MONTH'S TOP 10 DOWNLOADED PROGRAMS =
------------------------------------------------------
28465 TOSERROR.TXT X A.FASOLDT 930417 4608 271 3
Desc: What Atari error msgs mean
28345 SYSINF83.ZIP X GRMEYER 930407 59136 263 2
Desc: Sysinfo - inspect your system status
28307 STKW0404.ZIP X J.SELLERS2 930405 218496 258 8
Desc: Star Trek Battle Simulation Game
28600 XTR22A.LZH X P.LEE14 930502 44032 245 40
Desc: DC Xtract Plus 2.2a Shareware
28341 CALLFIX.LZH X M.BURKLEY1 930407 1920 198 2
Desc: CallFix, Run old prgs on new TOS's!
28565 STDCAT52.ZIP X GRMEYER 930427 61952 185 2
Desc: STDCAT v5.2 Disk Cataloger
28361 EOSLIFE.LZH X K.LORD 930409 2432 164 21
Desc: Warp 9 EOS module runs Conways Life
28347 BMP2.ZIP X GRMEYER 930407 30848 147 11
Desc: Background Music Player II
28273 SPBT81.LZH X G.W.MOORE 930331 155648 147 2
Desc: Super Boot V8.1 - Bug Fixes
28655 WHATIS65.LZH X D.BOWMAN9 930506 20224 145 2
Desc: WhatIs version 6.5 file type ID'er
------------------------------------------------------
= LAST WEEK'S TOP 10 DOWNLOADED PROGRAMS =
------------------------------------------------------
28600 XTR22A.LZH X P.LEE14 930502 44032 245 40
Desc: DC Xtract Plus 2.2a Shareware
28655 WHATIS65.LZH X D.BOWMAN9 930506 20224 145 2
Desc: WhatIs version 6.5 file type ID'er
28613 GVIEW223.ZIP X D.BOWMAN9 930502 292352 131 5
Desc: GEM-VIEW VERSION 2.23 FEB-28-1993
28587 MIDIMIX1.LZH X D.RUTHERFORD 930430 17280 105 29
Desc: Midi mixer desk accessory
28639 SPRTED13.ARC X D.CLIFTON4 930505 45440 88 2
Desc: SpiritEd, A GEM text editor DA
28612 MBROWSE.ZIP X D.BOWMAN9 930502 60800 83 2
Desc: Great Text viewer
28658 ALFRED_E.ZIP X A.VALENT 930506 187904 82 2
Desc: New Dictionary for GER2ENG19 and 21
28595 MEGACHCK.LZH X C.MULLER3 930501 244608 80 10
Desc: The Ultimate Finance Manager
28609 PI3_SNAP.ZIP X DRAGONWARE 930502 21760 77 28
Desc: MultiTOS compatible SNAPSHOT ACC
28652 FLCAT_13.ZIP X R.HOEKSTRA1 930505 34432 67 2
Desc: Version 1.3 of the File Catalog.
------------------------------------------------------
--==--==--==--==--
||| Developers' Press Releases
|||
/ | \ -------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Your regular host for this section of AEO, Lyre, has had to take a few
weeks off of his normal duties. Until he returns, Your Editor is
keeping track of the TOS platform developer press releases. If your
business, or your user group has an announcement to make, please send
it to AEO, via one of our online addresses. Thanks.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Compo Offers SpeedoGDOS Kit
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Speedo(TM) is a new typeface format developed by Bitstream that will
revolutionize the way you work and the quality of your documents.
You may have used bitmap fonts in your applications. Bitmap fonts are
only available in a few sizes, and are often crudely scaled and
reproduced (resulting in "jaggies"). Bitmap fonts also use separate
files for screen and printer fonts, and thus occasionally vary
between what you see on screen and what is printed, ruining the
desired "What You See Is What You Get" (WYSIWYG).
These problems are of the past. Speedo fonts can be scaled to any
size, and are always scaled at the highest quality for both screen
and printer. WYSIWYG is maintained because Speedo does its work with
a single font file.
You may have used outline fonts in your applications. Speedo sets a
new standard for outline fonts. It uses Type 1 hinting to increase
resolution and accuracy for sharper quality at low resolutions.
Speedo fonts also include extensive kerning data, with an average of
300-500 kerning pairs per font, for perfect character spacing.
There are over 1000 Speedo fonts, from traditional to original designs.
SpeedoGDOS(TM) is the type manager that brings this technology to
your Atari. SpeedoGDOS uses dynamic font caching to scale Speedo
fonts within a limited amount of memory. It also allows you to easily
add fonts to your system, change printer drivers, and more.
COMPO's Speedo Starter Kit includes everything you need to add Speedo
to your system, including SpeedoGDOS, an assortment of printer
drivers, and 20 outline fonts. It is compatible with all applications
that use GDOS, including word processors, desktop publishers,
graphics applications, and others. Some applications support Speedo
fonts directly, such as That's Write 3.
Printer drivers are provided for Canon Bubblejet, HP Deskjet, HP
Laserjet, HP Paintjet, SLM series laser printers, 9-pin dot matrix,
and 24-pin dot matrix (including NEC-compatible 360x360 dpi) printers.
Additionally, other drivers are included with specific third
party applications, such as Toad Computer's STraight FAX!
A wide variety of fonts is included:
Dutch 801 Roman (Bitstream's version of Times)
Dutch 801 Italic
Dutch 801 Bold
Dutch 801 Bold Italic
Swiss 721 Roman (Bitstream's version of Swiss)
Swiss 721 Italic
Swiss 721 Bold
Swiss 721 Bold Italic
Bitstream Cooper Black
Monospace 821
Park Avenue
VAG Rounded
Symbol Monospaced
More Wingbats SWC
Bernhard Modern Roman
Futura Extra Black
Pica 10 Pitch
Zurich Condensed
Zurich Bold Condensed
Zapf Calligraphic Roman (Bitstream's version of Palatino)
The Speedo Starter Kit is available now from COMPO Software for
$59.95. Additional font packs are also available, as are individual
fonts from the Bitstream Typeface Library.
To order or request more information, contact:
COMPO Software Corp.
104 Esplanade Avenue Suite 121
Pacifica California 94044 USA
Tel: 415-355-0862
Fax: 415-355-0869
GEnie: COMPO
Speedo is a trademark of Bitstream, Inc.
SpeedoGDOS is a trademark of Atari Corporation.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// ORA Pairs True Paint with SpeedoGDOS
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Press Release - May 7, 1993
TruePaint(tm) now available with SpeedoGDOS(tm) from Atari
Oregon Research is pleased to announce TruePaint. Compatible with all
Atari ST/STe/TT computers, it is specifically designed to take
advantage of the new high resolution and TrueColor capabilities of the
Falcon030. With its easy to use commands for painting; drawing and
animation; stunning special effects; bezier curves and full
SpeedoGDOS(tm) support, TruePaint is the paint package for the next
generation of Atari computers.
* TruePaint contains a full range of drawing tools including
freehand, lines, rays, Bezier curves, grids, arcs, general
curves, rectangles, circles, segments and polygons.
* Wide range of brush and airbrush tools including user definable
* Special effects are provided, such as Rainbow (a blend between
colors), Shear, Wrinkle, Shadow, Lighten/Darken, Smoothing, Blend
* The color handling is superb both in palette and True Color modes,
with easy choice of pen color including the ability to pick the
color from any pixel on the image.
* TruePaint works in ALL Atari resolutions and supports overscan
on a Falcon030 computer running with a non-VGA monitor.
* The Text Tool allows you to add text to your painting,
choose your bitmapped or SpeedoGDOS(tm) outline font, and apply
various effects(skew, outline, shadow etc.), to the final result.
Wrap scaled SpeedoGDOS(tm) outline fonts around Bezier curve paths.
* With TruePaint, Animation couldn't be simpler - just build your
frames and add them to your animation. Space savin format only
stores the difference between frames.
* Zoom mode magnifies part of the image, allowing individual pixels
to be edited.
* Undo command comes in extremely useful!
* A unique feature is the number of image file formats that TruePaint
supports including IMG, Degas, Neochrome, Prism Paint, IFF/ILBM,
Targa, TIFF, GIF and JPEG.
* TruePaint is an operating system legal program, TruePaint will work
in any resolution on any ST/STe/TT/Falcon
SpeedoGDOS(tm) from Atari
As a service to our TruePaint customers we are pleased to announce the
availability of Atari Corporations' fantastic new outline font manager
SpeedoGDOS(tm) for an additional $29. Speedo(tm) is a new outline font
technology developed by Bitstream and SpeedoGDOS(tm) is the font manager
that brings that technology to your Atari computer. SpeedoGDOS(tm) is
compatible with all applications that use GDOS, including ,of course
TruePaint, other graphics applications, word processors, desktop
publishers, and more.
The SpeedoGDOS(tm) basic starter package consists of:
* SpeedoGDOS(tm) font manager
* Printer Drivers for: Atari SLM series Laser
HP Laserjet (& PCL compatible)
HP Deskjet
HP Paintjet
Cannon Bubblejet
Epson FX-80 & Compatibles
Epson LQ-570 & Compatibles
NEC P-Series
Okimate 20
Star NX1000
* Software to install and configure the printer drivers.
* 14 Bitstream Speedo(tm) fonts including:
Swiss 721 Roman
Swiss 721 Italic
Swiss 721 Bold
Swiss 721 Bold Italic
Dutch 801 Roman (Times equivilant)
Dutch 801 Italic
Dutch 801 Bold
Dutch 801 Bold Italic
Bitstream Cooper Black
Monospace 821
Park Avenue
Symbol Monospaced
More Wingbats SWC
VAG Rounded
* Software for easy installation and management of fonts.
* Easy to use installation software that sets everything up for you to
enjoy the world of scalable outline fonts.
TruePaint is available NOW for a retail price of $79.95.
TruePaint with SpeedoGDOS(tm) retails for $108.95
Registered TruePaint owners who would like to add the SpeedoGDOS(tm)
basic starter package to their system may do so for $29.
For more information contact:
Oregon Research Associates
16200 SW Pacific Hwy Suite 162
Tigard, OR 97224
Telephone: (503) 620-4919 1:00-5:00PM PST M-F
FAX: (503) 624-2940
Genie: ORA.TECH
Speedo is a trademark of Bitstream
SpeedoGDOS is a trademark of Atari Corporation
TruePaint is a trademark of HiSoft
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// ORA Announces Datalite
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
DATAlite(tm) 2 Press Release May 12, 1993
Oregon Research Associates is pleased to announce the addition
of DATAlite(tm) 2 to our line of high quality software for the
Atari ST/STe/TT/Falcon030 line of computers.
How would you feel if you woke up one day and found that your
50 megabyte hard disk had suddenly turned into a 100 megabyte
hard disk! You'd be stunned, amazed, and pretty HAPPY! Well,
that's exactly what will happen to your disk when you install
DATAlite(tm).
DATAlite(tm) is a sophisticated, powerful program providing real
time online data compression for floppy and hard disks.
Amazingly fast, you will never know it's installed. DATAlite
transparently doubles the storage size of your disks.
DATAlite(tm) is completely safe and reliable. It works its'
magic as BIOS level device driver completely transparent to the
system at the disk level. It does not patch any GEMDOS calls or
interfere with the file system in any way. Incompatibilities are
impossible. All you know is that your 50 meg hard drive is now
a 100 meg hard drive! WOW!
Some of DATAlite's features include:
* Automatically compresses all files (programs AND
data) while storing and decompresses when loaded again
* Datalite's efficiency results in a doubling of the usable
amount of disk space
* Many different compression methods automatically chosen
to maximize storage capacity.
* Completely transparent, safe, and reliable. You can even use
low level disk sector editors to directly edit data
contained in "virtual" sectors.
* Does not patch any GEMDOS functions or interfere with the
file system in any way.
* Supports all ST/STe/TT/Falcon030 computers
* Supports all TOS versions including MultiTOS
* Supports all memory and hardware configurations
* Supports ALL disks, including hard disks, removable disks,
and floppy disks
DATAlite(tm) will be available in late May with a suggested
retail price of $79.95.
For more information, please contact:
Oregon Research Associates
16200 S.W. Pacific Hwy., Suite 162
Tigard, OR 97224
Telephone: (503) 620-4919 1:00-5:00PM PST M-F
FAX: (503) 624-2940
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// EMailman? from SGS
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!
SRG Software
Tuesday, May 4, 1993
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
SRG Software presents EmailMan? 1.0
A Dedicated Database For Keeping
Track Of Email Addresses!
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Have you ever been in the middle of sending someone a letter online and
then forgotten their email address? Do you do online mailings where you
need to send the same letter to a lot of different people, keeping track
of all the addresses and typing them all in? Do you belong to several
different online services where you know many different people and have to
keep track of all their addresses?
Well, my friend, if you answered Yes to any of the above questions, then
EmailMan? is for you!
EmailMan? is a dedicated database for keeping track of email addresses.
With it you can Load, Save, Find, Add, Edit, Delete, and Transmit up to
200 email addresses in each database file.
And it's all available from within any GEM compatible program too! Even
your favorite terminal program! Just run it as an accessory...
Never again do you have to remember or type in another email address!
FEATURE LIST
~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Runs as a program or a desk accessory in all resolutions on all Atari
ST, STe, TT, and Falcon computers.
~ Up to 200 names, email addresses, and notes (each 30 characters in
length) can be Loaded, Saved, Found, Added, Edited, Deleted, and
Transmitted in each database file.
~ Can be controlled with either the mouse or the computer keyboard.
~ Addresses can be marked for Saving, Deleting, and Transmitting user
selected groups.
~ Autoload a select email database upon running.
~ Email addresses can be typed into any other open GEM compatible
application.
~ In addition to email addresses, the configuration variables Start
String, Delimiter, and Carriage Returns can be transmitted for added
onscreen formatting.
~ Special transmitting mode to allow addresses to be typed in even while
EmailMan(tm) remains open.
~ Save the onscreen window position with the configuration variables for
automatic window placement upon running or opening. Excellent for
those with large screen monitors!
~ Can be used with CodeHead Technologies MultiDesk (Deluxe) as a resident
or non-resident accessory.
~ Can be used with CodeHead Technologies Warp9 for added screen redraw
speed and keyboard control of alert boxes.
To see this amazing new utility at work for yourself, try the free demo
version which is available now on all the major on-line services.
To order a registered and full working copy of EmailMan?, send a check or
money order (drawn on a US bank) made out to Scott R. Garrigus in the
amount of $10.00 to:
SRG Software
Attn: EmailMan
P.O. Box 5
No. Salem, NH 03073
I can be contacted at the following email addresses:
GEnie: S.GARRIGUS
PAN: GARRIGUS
Internet: garrigus@pan.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Warp9 is Copyright 1992 by CodeHead Technologies.
MultiDesk Deluxe is Copyright 1988,89,90,91 by CodeHead Technologies.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// CyberCube Acquires Distribution Rights to GEM-View
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
N E W D I S T R I B U T O R F O R
.______. ._____. .__ __. ._. __.._. ._____. ._. __
/ ._____! | .___! | \ / | | | / / | | | .___! | | ._. / /
| | .__. | !__. | . \/ . | ._. | | / / | | | !__. | | / | / /
| | !_ | | .__! | |\ /| | !_! | | / / | | | .__! | | / ! | / /
| !___! | | !___. | | \/ | | | |/ / | ! | !___. | |/ /| |/ /
\.___/!_! !_____! !_! !_! !___/ !_! !_____! !___/ !___/
Cybercube Research Limited, Canada has acquired the exclusive rights to
distribute Dieter Fiebelkorn's GEM-View in North America.
Effective immediately, Cybercube Research Ltd. will solely handle all
customer support, registration, upgrade and marketing related issues.
The existing versions of GEM-View will remain SHAREWARE while the new
versions will only be available as a COMMERCIAL product.
For more information about our extensive upgrade policy, a full list of the
new and extended features, the next release or pricing simply refer to our
upcoming GEM-View press releases.
If you have any additional questions, please send your e-mail to CYBERCUBE
or contact us at:
Cybercube Research Limited
126 Grenadier Crescent
Thornhill, Ontario,
Canada, L4J 7V7
Tel. (416) 882 0294
Fax (416) 886 3261
BBS (416) 882 5895
We would like to thank all GEM-View users for their continued support and
look forward to a exciting and new co-operation.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// CodeHeads Annouce MIDI Spy
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
For immediate release
CodeHeadQuarters
Friday, May 14, 1993
--------------------
.................................................
: :
: CodeHead Software announces MIDI Spy... :
: :
: ...FOR THE LAST TIME! :
: :
: Multitasking MIDI Playback & Recording :
: System for Atari Computers :
: :
: PLUS.... :
: :
: Special offers on Roland Sound Canvas :
: MIDI sound generators :
: :
:...............................................:
A Recording Engineer on a Disk!!
Years in the Making!!
MIDI Spy is finally a reality!!
It is a pleasure to announce that MIDI Spy is now shipping. Those of you
who've read our previous announcements may wish to skip to the section
below on new features.
You'll never lose another valuable musical idea because your sequencer
wasn't ready to record -- MIDI Spy is always listening. Call it
background operation or call it MIDI multi-tasking -- what you've got is
freedom and power! MIDI Spy is the recording system you've been waiting
for.
It's not easy to remember to push that button before you start recording.
And there's a stigma attached to the "red light" that tends to inhibit
creativity.
But with MIDI Spy, you can forget about these things. You don't have to
be a recording engineer. You don't have to anticipate your moments of
inspiration. And you won't feel the pressure of the red light. In fact,
you'll forget MIDI Spy is installed, until you're ready to replay your
creations.
When you're not recording, you can tell MIDI Spy to play songs in the
background while you use your computer for other tasks like word
processing, desktop publishing, telecommunications, or file maintenance.
Now you don't need to waste time while waiting for an upload or download
through your modem...you can be working (playing) with your MIDI
equipment!
Feature List
--------------
o Record or play back MIDI data at any time, whether the MIDI Spy dialog
box is open or not.
o Load and save songs, sets of songs, or multitrack recordings in all
three standard MIDI formats or in MIDI Spy's own format.
o Definable "record gap" automatically divides your recordings into
individual songs for easy retrieval.
o Overdub to create layered recordings, without even touching your
computer!
o Background operation is not affected by the current foreground task --
MIDI Spy is rock-solid!
o Hot keys are always active, so you can control MIDI Spy at any time,
whether it's on-screen or not.
o MIDI Spy functions can be assigned to MIDI commands to control
operations directly from your MIDI keyboard -- without even touching
your computer.
o Autoload songs and even have MIDI Spy start playing automatically when
you boot up.
o Song information, including copyright notice, can be entered and saved
with your songs.
o Timing resolution is equivalent to 100 ticks per quarter note at 120
beats per minute.
o Record or load up to 999 songs.
o Chain mode provides continuous "juke box" type of playback while you do
other computer activities.
o Thermometer bar display of memory usage shows memory available and
memory used, by the current song as well as the whole set of songs.
o Songs can be selected or started by clicking in the memory display.
o Tempo can be adjusted from 10% to 300% of the original tempo.
o Fine tuned for non-interference with your other programs.
o Software selectable THRU option.
o Customize your MIDI Spy configuration by saving it directly into MIDI
Spy.
o Special MIDIMAX mode allows you to actually record your MIDIMAX
output. (MIDIMAX is CodeHead's real-time MIDI performance tool
featuring chord maps and MIDI macros).
o Runs as a program or a desk accessory in all resolutions on all Atari
ST, STe, TT, and Falcon machines.
o Install MIDI Spy as an application and you can double-click on songs to
play them.
o 100% assembly language, with the quality you've come to expect from
CodeHead Technologies.
------------------------------------
New Features since MIDI Spy 1.1 Demo
------------------------------------
o Record and Playback System Exclusive information -- save your sounds
right along with each song!
o Auto-merge option automatically combines tracks from a multitrack MIDI
file so you can immediately play the entire composition.
o MIDI Channelizing allows you to record incoming MIDI data on any
channel, or change the channel of existing songs and tracks. Change
channels from the dialog box, hot keys, or MIDI commands.
o Manually send a General MIDI reset command.
o Panic button sends notes off and controller resets to all channels.
o Send and receive MIDI Start, Stop, and Continue commands.
MIDI Spy comes with an 87-page reference manual in a 3-ring binder. The
manual is written for all levels of MIDI expertise, even those who are
just starting in MIDI. There are sections describing what MIDI is all
about, standard MIDI files, and tutorials on using various aspects of MIDI
Spy. Also included are a glossary and an index.
--------------------------
Roland Sound Canvas Offers
--------------------------
The Roland Sound Canvas is a small, multi-timbral, General MIDI sound
module capable of playing entire musical MIDI performances. It includes
several drum sets, hundreds of standard MIDI sounds, reverb, chorus, and
stereo panning, all in a compact little box.
Now you can order MIDI Spy and get a Roland Sound Canvas AND MIDIMAX
thrown in as well, all for the price of the Sound Canvas, or even less.
Here's what you get:
Item Value Item Value
------------------------- --------- ------------------------- --------
Roland Sound Canvas SC-7 $399.00 Roland Sound Canvas SC-55 $825.00
MIDI Spy 79.95 MIDI Spy 79.95
MIDIMAX 49.95 MIDIMAX 49.95
--------- --------
Total $528.90 Total $954.90
** Your Price ** ** $399.00 ** Your Price ** ** $695.00
Savings!! $129.90 Savings!! $259.90
Shipping is not including in these prices. Other Sound Canvas models
including the SC-155 will be available soon. Details will be announced
when available.
------------
Availability
------------
MIDI Spy is available now. Suggested retail price is $79.95. For more
information, contact your local dealer, or:
CodeHead Software
PO Box 74090
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Tel (213) 386-5735
Fax (213) 386-5789
BBS (213) 461-2095
Try the free MIDI Spy 1.1 demo for yourself to get a taste of this
amazing new concept. Don't let your computer tell YOU when to be
creative...with MIDI Spy you're always ready.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
//// Lexicor Software Offers the NOVA Card
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
<======================================================================>
LEXICOR SOFTWARE PRESENTS:
The NOVA Graphics Card.
<=====================================>
Hi
It's me again Yat Siu from Lexicor Software Europe. I have a happy
announcement to make!
Lexicor Software is glad to announce that they have acquired distribution
rights to the NOVA Card. The Nova Card comes in essentially 5 different
versions. Lexicor Software Products that run on the NOVA Card are:
XENOMORPH-3D/PHOENIX (works 100%) all functions
Cyber Colour (works 100%) all functions
Prism Paint (works 100%) v.1.1, 1.5 and the soon to be released 2.0
CHRONOS-3D Newest Version (works 100%) You can even RENDER in any rez
at 8bit
GENESIS (works 100%)
Render 24 (works 100%)
Utility Disk (?) I haven't checked all the utilities but nearly ALL
appear to work.
And since it has its own VDI Driver, most Atari Applications that are
written cleanly should work just fine. Now to the availability and the
prices, Lexicor users get a special price as I understand and for
those who buy our Software bundled, they too will get a special price.
I have listed them into Lexicor and Non Lexicor and listed the price
respectively below. I hope the formatting works now! :)
Type of NOVA Card Prices:LEXICOR User Prices:NON-LEXICOR
Description of CARD:
NOVA Mega 32K 300 $US 360 $US
32,768 Colors for
any Mega ST BUS
Nova Mega 16M 400 $US 490 $US
16,7 Million Colors
for your Mega ST BUS
Nova VME 32K 429 $US 560 $US
32,768 Colors for any
Mega STE or TT VME
Nova VME 16M 529 $US 699 $US
16,7 Million Colors for
any Mega STE or TT VME
Super NOVA 999 $US 1199 $US
Excellence and brilliance!
Requires a VME Bus Mega STE or TT
If you own an ST or a regular STE (eg.1040, 520) then with a special
adaptor you can connect the Mega BUS versions on your ST, STE. Price
of the adaptor however is to date not known.
Transport is not included, add another 30-40 dollars depending on how
quick you wish to have a delivery.
Prices are Subject to possible change but unlikely.
To the specs of the Card now:
All the NOVA Cards, 16M, 32k VME or Mega BUS have this in common:
1. Max Pixeltakt: 90 Mhz
2. Video RAM 1 Megabyte
3. Ramtype DRAM
4. Have Virtual Resolutions
5. Automatic Rez Switch
6. Upgrade Possibility
7. VDI for its Colors (16M have 24bit VDI, 32k have 32K VDI)
8. All have a Videomode Generator
9. All go upto 1024*768 in 72Hz in 2/16/256 Colors
The Max rez in 16,7 Million colors for the 16M VME is 640*480 and the
MegaBUS is 640*400.
The Max rez for BUS version is 1024*768 and for VME version is
1088*832 at 70 Hz.
The Max rez at 32k colors for BUS version is 768*512 and VME version
is 800*600.
The SUPERNOVA is a dream Card for a dream Price!!!
Max Mhz is 135 MHZ with 16,7 Million colors at 800*600, 32k colors at
1024* 768, Absolute Max at 256 Colors max is 1280 * 1024. Ram type is
VRAM unlike the NOVA standard DRAM and has 2 Megabytes of VRAM. It has
everything that regular NOVA's have AND has a hardware speedup, making
it even quicker!
Naturally, Virtual Resolutions possible!
This is a very, very fine card and is to my knowledge the cheapest
available Graphics Card for your Atari. The Crazy Dots which we so
promoted before is still a fine card, but proved to be less compatible
than the NOVA making for Lexicor Software the NOVA Card be the
preferred choice.
Please, as this is a service of Lexicor Europe which needs to import
and may run out of stock, consider a maximum delivery time of 6 weeks,
depending on your preferred choice of delivery (Ground, Air, UPS or
FEDEX?!).
We will have stock, and it should not take so long....I am only being
careful! :)
Yat Siu
From: Lee Seiler
Just a few additional comments,
In addition: as a special gift to all our Lexicor software customers
Lexicor will be offering a "NOVA-Chronos Private-Stock" bundle which
will include all updates for all Lexicor products which run on the
NOVA. With the NOVA you can do complete animations from start to
finish. This offer will extend to the Phoenix with a special NOVA
Phoenix/.ANM update when it is ready.
This offer means that for as little as $529 (plus shipping etc.) you
can upgrade your ST/TT system and begin creating full 24 bit
animations. It is a plug and play combination you can't beat at any
price any were else.
If you want to ensure full compatability of you exicting or new
Phase-4 software be sure to check here before making a decision on
purchasing a grapphics card.
LEXICOR SOFTWARE CORPORATION
1726 Francisco ST.
Berkeley, CA 94703
Phone: 510-848-7621
FAX: 510-848-7613
--==--==--==--==--
|||
||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff
/ | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------
AEO's Quote O' The Year?
--==--==--==--==--==--==--
" Sixteen. Powell.
Eighteen. Coleman.
Bicani???
Hut. Hut. "
--Shane Starmuffin
Until the next issue of AEO, I remain,
Your Editor
Travis Guy
--==--==--==--==--
(This issue printed on recycled photons)
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the
Atari computer community. Material published in this issue may be
reprinted under the following terms only: articles must remain unedited
and include the issue number and author at the top of each article
reprinted. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the
beginning of the article, to registered Atari user groups and not for
profit publications. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual
authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of Atari
Corporation.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS,
MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio,
Atari Explorer, Atari Explorer Online, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are
all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. All
other trademarks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective
owners.
--==--==--==--==--
Atari Explorer Online Magazine
"The Official Atari Online Journal"
Copyright (c) 1993, Atari Computer Corporation
* * *
* * *
* * *
* * *
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A E O :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:: Volume 2 - Issue 10 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 15 May 1993 ::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
-----------------------------------------
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