ST Report: 25-Feb-94 #1009
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 02/27/94-07:17:44 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 25-Feb-94 #1009
Date: Sun Feb 27 19:17:44 1994
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
=============================
from
STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
February 25, 1994 No. 1009
======================================================================
Silicon Times Report
International Online Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155
R.F. Mariano
Publisher-Editor
-----------------------------------------
Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM-4 PM EST
STR Publishing Support BBS Network System
* THE BOUNTY BBS *
ITCNet 85:881/253 JAX HUB ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:21/350
904-786-4176 MULTI-NODE 24hrs-7 days
2400-57.6 bps V.32-42 bis 16.8 USR Dual Standard
FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM-6 AM EST
-----------------------------------------
Fido 1:112/35 The Bounty STR Support Central 1-904-786-4176
FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734
FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493
FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981
MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642
______________________________________________________________________
> 02/25/94 STR 1009 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - Canon goes Power PC - Ventura UGroup
- CIS Issues Visa Card - Compaq Wins Suit! - Corel Qwik Tips
- WP to ship PPC Ver. - W4Win 6.0a Info - Another Fine MESS!
- ALDUS VP Converter - Tandy "Gigastore" - The Old Fishin' Hole
-* WINDOWS 3.11 SHIPPING! *-
-* MicroSoft LOOSES to STAC Electronics! *-
-* 3DO Price$ SLASHED! *-
======================================================================
STReport International Online Magazine
The Original * Independent * Online Magazine
-* FEATURING WEEKLY *-
"Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information"
Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information
Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports
======================================================================
STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to
participate in the Fido/PROWL/ITC/USENET/NEST/F-Net Mail Networks. You
may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and
excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to
computers, worldwide, through the use of excellent International
Networking Systems. SysOps, worldwide, are welcome to join the STReport
International Conferences. The Fido Node is 1:112/35, ITC Node is
85:881/253 Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All
computer platforms BBS systems are welcome and invited to participate.
======================================================================
CIS ~ GENIE ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX
USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL
======================================================================
COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME
to the Readers of;
STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
"The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine"
NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY!
CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198
You will receive your complimentary time
and
be online in no time at all!
"Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
Tis the end of dear old, February. A few months ago, we advised you
of our wanting to go to the RTF (Rich Text Format). Be advised, as of
the first issue for the month of March, STReport shall be published in
Rich Text Format. RTF is universally acceptable on all platforms and
allows the eye appealing use of styles and formats otherwise not
available. There are readers and WProcessors that'll readily accept RTF
on all platforms.
The monthly re-cap for the Macintosh folks is about to become a
reality. We may even go to a monthly re-cap for all platforms shortly.
Let us hear from you. A separate monthly recap of each platform's
articles and reviews makes good sense to us but there is always the
reader's input. So please, tell us what you think.
Ralph.....
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU!
""""""""""""""""
Publisher -Editor
""""""""""""""""""
Ralph F. Mariano
Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
Section Editors
"""""""""""""""
PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION
---------- ------------- ----------- -------------
R.D. Stevens R. Glover R. Noak D. P. Jacobson
STReport Staff Editors:
"""""""""""""""""""""""
Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur John Deegan
Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner
John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando
Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth
Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur
Melanie Bell John Donohue
Contributing Correspondents:
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Tim Holt Norman Boucher Harry Steele
Clemens Chin Neil Bradley Eric Jerue
Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing
James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia
Glenwood Drake
IMPORTANT NOTICE
""""""""""""""""
Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc...
via E-Mail to:
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America Online..................STReport
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GEnie......................... ST-REPORT
Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM
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> CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""
IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I)
===========================
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #09
By: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
** Bell Atlantic/TCI Merger Called Off **
Bell Atlantic Corp and Tele-Communications Inc. have called off their
planned merger, terminating a $12 billion deal that would have been the
largest telecommunications merger in U.S. history.
The companies are blaming a change in federal cable TV regulations.
They also claim that market uncertainties made it impossible to close the
deal, which was announced last October.
** Microsoft Loses Data Compression Suit **
Stac Electronics was awarded $120 million in compensatory damages this
week by a Los Angeles federal court jury in its suit against Microsoft
Corp. The suit was over Microsoft infringing on Stac's patents for data
compression products. But the jury found that the violation was not
willful and awarded Microsoft $13.6 million on a counterclaim.
Microsoft executives say they will stop selling DOS 6 packages
containing the data compression software. But the company won't withdraw
software already on store shelves.
** Compuserve Issues its own Visa Credit Card **
CompuServe Incorporated this week introduced its own Visa credit card
for CompuServe members. Reports say that the cards are being issued by
CompuServe parent H&R Block Inc. and Columbus Bank & Trust of Columbus,
Georgia. CompuServe members who use the cards will receive a credit of
$27.50 toward hourly CompuServe usage charges.
In addition, those who use the cards to make purchases in the
Electronic Mall will be offered discounts by various merchants.
If the card is used at least six times each year, there will be no
annual fee. The Visa Gold version of the card will have an annual
interest rate of 12.9%, while the Visa Classic interest rate will be
14.9%.
** Compaq Wins Landmark Keyboard Suit **
Compaq Computer Corp. has won what is believed to be the first jury
verdict in a lawsuit brought by a customer who claims to have been
permanently hurt by a computer keyboard. Reports say that attorneys are
split over the importance of the jury's ruling, which came last week in a
state court.
Compaq and other major computer makers, including IBM Corp. and Apple
Computer Inc., face a number of lawsuits from people who allege that the
repetitive use of the companies' keyboards caused crippling pain and
numbness that has ruined their careers. Many of the lawsuits have been
consolidated.
In the case decided last week, Patsy Heard Woodcock, a former legal
secretary in Houston, claimed she suffered wrist injuries because of a
Compaq keyboard. She can't lift more than five pounds with her hands.
She asked Compaq for $800,000 in damages and lost wages. But jurors,
who deliberated for 55 minutes after a 2 1/2-week trial, found that the
computer company didn't know its computers could cause injury.
** Motorola Integrates Multimedia Technologies **
Motorola Inc. says it has developed a simpler way for PC makers to add
sound and video functions to their machines. Reports say that the
company's PC Media product is developed around a chip called a digital
signal processor (DSP). It replaces the multiple add-in cards that
currently give multimedia capabilities to PCs.
The development is part of a push that accelerated in November to
incorporate DSPs as a way to make multimedia computers less costly and
more flexible.
Using software developed by Motorola and other companies, a DSP can be
a facsimile, modem or telephone. The chip also has the ability to make
sounds or record voices. Improving or expanding on these functions is
done through software rather than adding cards of chips.
A software developer's kit will cost about $7500.
** Panasonic Cuts 3DO Price **
Because of expanded production, Panasonic Co. has slashed the price of
the 3DO Interactive Multi-player game machine from $700 to $500. The
CD-based machine was released in December and has been experiencing slow
sales, according to industry analysts.
** Galoob and Game Genie Come Out $15 Million Ahead **
Video game maker Lewis Galoob Toys Inc is to receive $15 million from
Nintendo of America for wrongfully blocking Galoob from selling its Game
Genie product in a copyright dispute in 1990, a federal appeals court has
ruled.
In 1990 Nintendo sued for copyright infringment and Galoob was
enjoined from selling its Game Genie, a device that enhanced computer
characters in its competitor's games. However, Galoob defeated Nintendo's
claim after the injunction had been in effect for 13 months, and
requested the entire bond as compensation for its lost profits.
** Intel Increased Its CPU Market Share in 1993 **
Increasing its market share of the worldwide microprossessor market to
74% in 1993, up from 69% in 1992, Intel continued to dominate the
worldwide microprocessor market according to a survey conducted by
Dataquest.
Second-place Motorola, supplier of the 68xxx microprocessors found in
Apple Macintosh computers, had an 8% share of the market. Advanced Micro
Devices slipped to third on the list
** Professor Admits to Kiddie Porn **
A 42-year-old Connecticut college instructor has admitted distributing
pornographic pictures of children through a computer bulletin board
system called "The Sanctuary."
Stephen Rioux, who is on paid leave from his job as an administrator
in the Tunxis Community-Technical College computer lab in Farmington,
pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography over phone
lines to computer users. He remains free on $50,000 bond until his
sentencing April 18.
Rioux was arrested in November after federal agents raided his
apartment and turned up computer disks containing more than 600
photographs of children under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
College officials says Rioux's contract will not be renewed after it
expires June 30.
******* General PC News *******
** Windows 3.11 is Shipping **
Microsoft Windows version 3.11, which Microsoft Corp. describes as a
"refresh release of Microsoft Windows 3.1 that implements packaging
changes designed to reduce software counterfeiting," has begun shipping.
According to a statement from Microsoft, the release also includes
updated device drivers and a few minor code changes to address issues
such as diskless workstation support.
"Most of the updated device drivers and code changes have been
previously available through online distribution and Microsoft Product
Support Services," the statement adds. "The refresh release product,
which will continue to be available as Microsoft Windows 3.1, contains no
new features and will not affect current users of Windows."
** Canon to Use PowerPC Chips **
Canon Inc. says it will use PowerPC microprocessors developed by IBM
Corp., Motorola Inc. and Apple Computer Inc. in computers and other
products.
Canon is the first major Japanese company to announce its support for
the new CPUs, which are competing against Intel's Pentium chips for
dominance in the high-end PC microprocessor market.
IBM already offers a workstation using PowerPC technology. The first
PowerPC- based Macintosh models are due out next month.
Canon says it plans to build a new plant to produce PowerPC-based
personal computers in Tennessee.
** Dell Returns to Notebook PC Business **
Dell Computer Corp. is back in the notebook PC business, six months
after it suspended shipments. Sources say that Dell is now selling five
models it co-developed with AST Research Inc. of Irvine, California. The
systems range in price from $1,700 to $4,200, depending on type of
screen, size of memory and number of accessories.
Dell dropped out of the notebook PC field last August after putting
all its resources into notebooks based on '386 microprocessors. At the
time, customers has just started gobbling up competitors' products based
on the more advanced '486 chip.
** IBM Cuts ThinkPad 500 Prices **
The IBM Personal Computer Co. announced price cuts of up to 20% on its
ThinkPad 500 notebook computer. The ThinkPad 500, with a 50/25MHz
486SLC2 microprocessor, 4MB of RAM and an 85MB hard disk, is now priced
at $1699. The same model with a 170MB hard drive now costs $1999.
** Digital Unveils High-Speed Graphics Chip **
Digital Equipment Corp. introduced the DECchip 21030 graphics chip, a
PCI-based graphics accelerator chip that the company claims provides
workstation-class graphics performance at PC prices.
Digital notes that the chip supports 3-D CAD, visualization, graphic
arts, and other applications that require workstation-class graphics.
The first in a family of new Digital graphics chips, the DECchip 21030
will be marketed by Digital and Brooktree Corp., San Diego, Calif, a
supplier of semiconductor technology. This chip will be targeted at the
high performance PCI-based desktop market, which includes Alpha AXP and
Pentium-based systems.
Priced at $59.80 in quantities of 5,000, the DECchip 21030 will be
available in volume to manufacturers during the second quarter.
** Tandy Opens Miami 'Gigastore' **
Tandy Corp. has brought its Incredible Universe "giagastore" concept
to South Florida. The 185,000-square-foot outlet, the first of six
Incredible Universe locations planned for 1994, offers more than 85,000
different electronic and home appliance products.
** AMD Offers Clock-Doubled 486SX CPU **
Advanced Micro Devices has expanded its Am486 microprocessor family
with the introduction of the industry's first clock-doubled 486SX device
running at 50MHz.
The Am486SX2-50 microprocessor includes an Am486 CPU core and an 8KB
internal write-through cache. The product's pin configuration makes it
socket-compatible with existing DX2 motherboards, says the Sunnyvale,
Calif.-based chip maker.
AMD notes that the CPU delivers performance equal to its DX2
equivalent in several standard benchmark tests, including the Landmark
CPU, Power Meter 1.8 MIPS and Norton SI 6.0 ratings.
******* General Mac News *******
** Aldus Ships Persuasion 3.0 **
Aldus Corp. announced the shipment of Persuasion 3.0 for the
Macintosh, a major upgrade to its cross-platform software application for
creating and managing slides, overheads and computer-based on-screen
presentations.
The new version features a redesigned user interface, an OLE charting
module, controls for slide design and output, and expanded support for
multimedia and on-screen presentations.
** PowerPC Version of WordPerfect Set to Ship **
WordPerfect Corp. announced this week that its native PowerPC version
of WordPerfect 3.0 for Macintosh is on schedule to ship simultaneously
with Apple's first PowerPC-based Macintosh computers.
The computers are set to ship next month, according to industry
reports.
WordPerfect says the word processor has been recompiled and optimized
to take advantage of the PowerPC CPU's speed.
"We are looking at our shipping date as an extreme competitive
advantage," says Mark Calkins, WordPerfect's vice president of corporate
and strategic marketing. "None of our word processing competitors have
announced plans to ship the same day as Apple's hardware launch. In fact,
most of them have announced shipping dates of two to six months later."
WordPerfect officials report that the software shows speed increases
in scrolling, search- and-replace, spell checking and other common tasks.
____________________________________________
> W4W 6.0a STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""
Word 6.0a: List of Fixed Bugs
=============================
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft Word for Windows, version 6.0a
- Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1
-------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY
=======
This article lists the problems in Word version 6.0 for Windows that are
corrected in the Word 6.0a upgrade. If you are experiencing one of the
problems listed below, you should obtain the Word 6.0a Patch.
If you have a network installation of Word 6.0, you cannot use the Word
6.0a Patch to upgrade your installation; you must obtain a full Word 6.0a
disk set by mail (free of charge). To obtain this disk set, call
Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. If you are outside
the United States, contact the Microsoft subsidiary for your area. To
locate your subsidiary, call Microsoft International Customer Service at
(206) 936-8661.
How to Obtain Word 6.0a
-----------------------
You can obtain the Word 6.0a Patch from the following sources:
- On CompuServe, the Word 6.0a Patch is located in LIB 2 of the MSWORD
forum. Download PATCH.EXE.
WORD 6.0 PROBLEMS FIXED IN WORD 6.0A
====================================
Disk Error While Saving, Embedded Object Becomes a Box
------------------------------------------------------
When you move an embedded object within a document using either
cut-and-paste or drag-and-drop, and you then (full) save the document,
the object may change appearance and will be uneditable. The object
usually becomes an empty square box. Subsequent save attempts will result
in "Disk is full," "too many edits," or "operation will be incomplete"
error messages.
Problems Caused By SHARE.EXE Corrected in VSHARE.386
----------------------------------------------------
Word 6.0a includes an updated VSHARE.386 file. This revised version of
VSHARE.386 ships with Word 6.0a to replace SHARE.EXE. This version of
VSHARE.386 provides greater compatibility with many applications running
under Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups 3.1 and later. To run Windows
in standard mode, you still need SHARE.EXE.
"General Mail Failure" Error Editing Routing Slip on a Mail Gateway
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If you edit a routing slip in a Word document, a "General Mail Failure"
error message may occur.
No kerning with Adobe Type Manager (ATM) Fonts
----------------------------------------------
ATM fonts do not print kerned, because ATM fonts use an older application
program interface (API) for kerning; this API is not supported in Word
6.0. Word 6.0a supports the older API.
"Not available" Error Messages with Adobe Type Manager (ATM) Fonts
------------------------------------------------------------------
Word displays the following error message for a group of Adobe Type 1
fonts, even though they are available on the system:
The font '<font name>' is not available on your system. Do you want to
use it anyway?
No Anti-Aliasing for TrueType Fonts
-----------------------------------
On a computer running an ATI Crystal Font video driver (or similar
driver), the Crystal fonts are displayed with clean, nonjagged edges due
to anti-aliasing. TrueType fonts, however, are displayed with jagged
edges because no anti-aliasing occurs.
Can't Remove Space Around Footnote Reference Marks
--------------------------------------------------
By design, Word 6.0 places white space after automatic footnote reference
marks. In response to customer requests, Word 6.0a inserts the white
space as a regular space character to the right of the footnote reference
mark, which means you can edit or remove it if you want.
Dr. Watson Errors in Examples and Demos
---------------------------------------
The Dr. Watson program displays errors when you choose the Examples And
Demos command from the Help menu.
Cannot Remove Borders on Pictures
---------------------------------
Sometimes you cannot remove a portion of a border from an inserted
picture or object, even when you choose None in the Format Borders And
Shading dialog box.
Cross-References Updated Incorrectly
------------------------------------
Bookmarks for captions change (shrink) to include only the caption label
(instead of the full text of the caption) when you insert new captions
later in the document. When you update cross-references to these
captions, the cross-reference includes only the caption label.
SEQ Field Displayed Incorrectly
-------------------------------
The result of a SEQ (sequence) field in the header and footer pane
displays "1" or "0" (zero) instead of the correct number in the sequence;
although the displayed version of this field is incorrect, the printed
version of is correct.
Password Displays in Converted File
-----------------------------------
If you save a password-protected document in another file format, the
password appears as text in the converted file.
GP Fault Creating New Document Based on Template With Link to Excel
-------------------------------------------------------------------
When you start Word with the /n switch, a general protection (GP) fault
occurs if you create a new Word document based on a template that
contains a link to a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
Fonts Printed Without Kerning
-----------------------------
Fonts do not print kerned in point sizes larger than the Kerning For
Fonts setting in the Format Fonts dialog box. Fonts print kerned only if
they are formatted with the point size specified by the Kerning For Fonts
setting.
Word 2.x Mail Merge Document Loses Data Delimiters in Header
------------------------------------------------------------
When you open a Word 2.x for Windows mail merge main document, and if the
data document is not a Word 2.x table, Word 6.0 removes the delimiters
from the header record, which concatenates all the field names in your
data document. In other words, Word reads the header record as a single
field name (for example, NameAddressCityZip).
Different Hierarchy for Choosing Which Same-Name Macro to Run
-------------------------------------------------------------
Word 6.0 follows a different set of rules than Word 2.x to determine
which template macro to run when two macros have the same name: Word 2.x
runs the macro from the template attached to the document in which the
insertion point is currently located, while Word 6.0 runs the macro from
the template from which you launched the macro.
Word 6.0a includes a the following new WordBasic macro command:
WW2CallingConvention([-1,0])
You can use this command to set either the Word 2.x or Word 6.0 macro
precedence method.
Cannot Open Password-Protected Paradox 3.5 Files
------------------------------------------------
A "File Access Denied" error occurs and you cannot open (via ODBC) a
password-protected file created in Paradox version 3.5 or earlier because
Word 6.0 does not prompt you for the password. You can open these files
in Word 6.0a because the ODBC driver prompts you for the password.
Insertion Point Scrolls Off Screen with WordPerfect Help On
-----------------------------------------------------------
If the WordPerfect Help option is selected and you press ENTER several
times, Word 6.0 scrolls the insertion point off the bottom of the screen
instead of advancing the screen.
Cannot Create Non-File Links
----------------------------
In Word 6.0, you cannot create a link to server an application that does
not use a filename to reference data. For example, Word 6.0 is
incompatible with a database program that references a database by name
and does not use the name of the file.
Computer Hangs Launching Word as Server When WordPerfect Help Is On
-------------------------------------------------------------------
If the Navigation Keys for WordPerfect Users option is turned on and you
launch Word from another OLE 2 program, your computer may hang (stop
responding) when you press the ESC key. Sometimes it takes a while for
the hang to occur.
GP Fault Updating Large Number of Links
---------------------------------------
A GP fault may occur when you update a large number of links (typically
from 80 to 200).
"Out of Memory" Error Opening Microsoft Excel 5.0 Chart
-------------------------------------------------------
When you open an embedded Microsoft Excel 5.0 chart using the Open
command (to edit the chart in a separate Microsoft Excel window), an "Out
of memory" error message occurs. This does not happen when you edit the
chart in place (in situ) in Word.
Key Assignments Not Saved in Templates
--------------------------------------
Word does not save template key assignments to the TAB and SHIFT+TAB
keys.
GP Fault Running Find File Command
----------------------------------
If you start Word using the /n switch and then open the Find File dialog
box (by choosing Find File from the File menu), a GP fault occurs if the
View option is set to Preview in the Find File dialog box.
Wrong Chapter Numbers on Last Page of Document
----------------------------------------------
The chapter number always displays as "1" on the last page of your
document in page layout view, regardless of the actual chapter number.
Wrong Chapter Number with Page Break Preceding Heading Paragraph
----------------------------------------------------------------
When your document includes chapter numbers in the page number, if a page
break immediately precedes a heading paragraph that marks the beginning
of a chapter, the wrong chapter number appears in the header or footer on
that page.
Error Messages About Printer Port
---------------------------------
By design, Word 6.0 confirms the validity of a port before printing. If
there is no port present, Word displays an error message. With some
configurations, however, Word incorrectly concludes that the printer port
is not present and displays a "Local Port Not Present" error message.
GP Fault with INCLUDETEXT Field
-------------------------------
If you insert an INCLUDETEXT field that references a bookmarked table
cell in another document, a GP fault occurs. This error does not occur if
the bookmark is not in a table cell.
DATE Field Result Clipped in Invoice Template
---------------------------------------------
The result of the DATE field in the third column, first row, of documents
based on the Invoice template (INVOICE.DOT) is truncated on the right
side when you print it.
___________________________________________________
> CORELDRAW TOOLBOX STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CORELDRAW TOOLBOX
SHORTCUTS TO PRODUCTIVITY
by J. Scott Hamlin
When it comes to productivity, there is just one thing to remember:
The computer is faster than you are. Getting the computer to carry out
even a few commands is worth the effort because it executes them faster
than you. A shortcut is money in the bank, so here's your first deposit.
Mighty Macros
-------------
If you've used macros in programs such as WordPerfect, you already
appreciate their potential. It surprises to me how many Windows users
don't take advantage of its Recorder utility. For this example, I will
use the macros I have created for CorelDraw's Nudge feature. Now that
CorelDraw nudges down to one thousandth of an inch, I am constantly
changing the nudge increment. To speed things up, I have created macros
for useful nudge settings, such as .001, .005, .01, .05, etc.
To create a macro, start Recorder, which is probably in your accessories
group. Start CorelDraw. Hit Alt+Tab to maximize Recorder. If something
other than Recorder comes up, such as Program Manager, keep holding down
the Alt key and hit Tab until Recorder comes up.
At this point, you will be prompted to name the macro (you have 40
characters to work with so you can be specific). Next, choose a key
combination. Use the CorelDraw 4.0 quick reference booklet to find the
key combinations already used by Draw. In general, Shift+Alt and
Control+Shift key combinations are fair game.
For this example, select the Alt key and type in the number 1 in the
Shortcut Key box. Click on the Record Mouse down arrow, select Ignore
mouse, and click OK. Now hit Control+J and then Alt+N. Type .001, Enter,
and then Control+Break (pause) to stop recording. Select save macro, and
you're done.
Now select Save under the File menu, name your new Recorder file, and
exit. Windows will store the Recorder file in the Windows main directory
with an REC extension. Using File Manager, locate the REC file you just
saved and drag and drop it into the Startup Group. Exit File Manager and
double click on the Startup Group. Select the Recorder file and select
Properties under the File menu in Program Manager. Select Run Minimized
and click OK. Restart Windows, and the Recorder file will load
automatically, ready and waiting to perform your macros. Remember that
the Recorder has to be running in order for the macros to work.
Since you cannot edit macros after they have been recorded, don't bother
to fill out the Record Macro Name in the Recorder dialog box until after
you have your macro the way you want it. After you've recorded the final
version of the macro, select Properties in the Macro menu and enter your
description. When you create other macros, remember to update the
Recorder file by saving it.
Other ideas include macros to toggle Interruptible Display, Crosshairs,
Snap to Guidelines and to call up the Weld, Clone, and Guidelines Setup
functions. Remember too that you can nest macros, or put one macro inside
another. Whenever you find yourself doing something over and over again,
think macro, because saving keystrokes means saving time.
Clipboard Culprit
-----------------
If you're working with CorelDraw and another application such PageMaker
or PhotoShop, chances are you're cutting and pasting. On systems with 8Mb
of RAM or less, two applications running simultaneously make the computer
run brutally slow. The clipboard is partially the culprit because it has
to remember what you've copied, which means it takes up precious RAM. To
quickly alleviate the problem, copy a simple object such as a small line
to the clipboard after you've cut or copied a complex graphic with
multiple blends and fractal fills. Your computer will breathe a sigh of
relief.
Slow Animals
------------
When you open the Symbols library, a 386 or slow 486 can take a few
seconds to draw all those pesky animals. Speed things up by creating a
new symbol library with a simple object such as a circle and name it
something that will alphabetically come before Animal, such as AAA. That
symbol library will then pop up first and take much less time to draw.
You can use a similar trick with Mosaic. If the last directory you view
has many graphics in it, you'll have to wait for Mosaic to reload those
thumbnails the next time you open it. To cut this time, after you've used
Mosaic, change the directory you're viewing to one that has no graphics
in it such as a TEMP directory or your PSFONTS directory. When you open
Mosaic, you won't have to wait for it to bring up a bunch of thumbnails
before you can use it.
De-fault is Yours
-----------------
If you type some text and then change the text to your favorite font,
you're working too hard. The fewer times you have to alter text, the
better. Because I often use Futura Medium Bold for headlines and New
Brunswick for body text, I've avoided significant tedium by changing my
Artistic Fonts default to 42-point Futura Medium Bold and Paragraph text
to 18-point New Brunswick.
Make sure nothing is selected and hit Ctrl+F2. Select the font and size
you prefer for headlines and click Apply. When the Text Attributes box
appears, make sure that Artistic Text is the only item selected by
clicking on Paragraph Text, and hit OK. Repeat the process for Paragraph
Text, but make sure Paragraph Text is selected.
Other Time Savers
-----------------
If you print multiple PRN (print to file or Postscript) files for slides
or transparencies, this tip is a real time saver. When printing to disk,
don't print to a floppy. Instead, print to a temporary directory on your
hard drive and then copy the file(s) to a disk.
If you're not using CorelDraw's new speed features such as Clone, Styles,
and Templates, take the time to learn them it'll pay off in productivity.
For example, Styles lets you set hotkeys to apply certain style settings,
so there is real speed potential there.
Work in wireframe mode whenever possible and use the interruptible
display. If you are duplicating several complicated objects, the last
duplication will always draw first. You can save time by duplicating and
clicking on the duplicate to reposition it before waiting for the screen
to redraw.
Finally, seven or eight levels of Undo is usually sufficient. By using
all 99 levels of Undo, your file will eat up precious RAM, which
translates into more waiting.
----
This article on Speed and Productivity tips is provided courtesy of Corel
Magazine. It is an example of the useful articles that you will find in
each issue of Corel Magazine. Each article is designed to maximize your
productivity and increase your skills in CorelDraw. This article is
representative of the useful tips and tricks you can expect to find in
Corel Magazine. Designed for the serious computer graphics user, Corel
Magazine boast a bold, dynamic look and editorial format. Each volume
covers issues of concern to the graphic design professional and the
business presentation graphic user. Plus, Corel Magazine will take you
beyond the limits of your imagination with coverage of the best
illustration techniques, drawing methods, and Corel software
applications.
For a subscription call:
(800) 856-0062
or
(512) 219-3138
or
fax (512) 219-3156.
J. Scott Hamlin is a freelance graphics designer in Austin, TX. Reach
him on CompuServe at 73132,1013.
_______________________________________________
> ALDUS/VENTURA CONV. STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ALDUS VENTURA PUBLISHER CONVERTER ADDITION
==========================================
The "VP Converter..." Addition lets you convert Ventura Publisher
chapter files (.CHP) to PageMaker files. The "VP Converter..." Addition
is compatible with Ventura Publisher 3.0, and has been lightly tested for
compatibility with Ventura Publisher versions 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2.
The "VP Converter..." Addition lets you convert Ventura Publisher
chapter files (.CHP) to PageMaker files. Since PageMaker and Ventura
Publisher do not share all of the same features, you may have to modify
the PageMaker file after conversion. For example, a 41-page chapter in
Ventura Publisher may convert to a 39-page publication in PageMaker 5.0.
More information on which features and formats convert is included below.
The "VP Converter..." Addition is compatible with Ventura Publisher
3.0, and has been lightly tested for compatibility with Ventura Publisher
versions 4.0, 4.1, and 4.2. If you are unable to convert a chapter file
created with versions 4.0 or higher, use the VP43.EXE utility included on
your Ventura Publisher Utilities disk to convert the chapter file to
Ventura Publisher 3.0 format. You can then convert the 3.0 chapter file
to a PageMaker publication using the "VP Converter..." Addition.
Note: Because the converter doesn't support most word-processing formats,
you'll need to convert all of the text files in your Ventura file to
ASCII before using this Addition.
To convert your Ventura text files to ASCII:
1. In Ventura Publisher, use the pointer tool to select the frame or
underlying page containing a text file you want to convert.
2. Choose File Type/Rename... from the Frame menu. For New Name, type
the path and filename of the ASCII file for your text. For Text
Format, select ASCII. Then click OK.
3. Choose Save from the File menu.
4. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each text file. This is not necessary
for frames containing text that you typed in Ventura (such as
captions or frame text).
To convert a Ventura CHP file to a PageMaker publication:
1. In PageMaker 5.0, choose "VP Converter..." from the Aldus Additions
submenu on the Utilities menu.
2. Select the Ventura chapter file you want to convert, and click OK.
Features and formats supported by the "VP Converter..." Addition
Text file formats imported by the "VP Converter..." Addition
Text file format Extension
7-bit ASCII .TXT
Text generated by VP .GEN
Text file formats that the "VP Converter..." Addition can't import
Text file format Extension
8-bit ASCII .TXT
DCA .RFT
Microsoft Word .DOC
Microsoft Word for Windows .DOC
MultiMate .DOC
PRN to Table .PRN
Word Perfect 4,5 .WP
WordStar 3, 4, 5 .WS
Xerox Writer .XWP
XyWrite .TXT
Support for picture files
The "VP Converter..." Addition converts most but not all picture files
from your Ventura chapter file to a new PageMaker file. The table below
explains which picture formats you can expect the VP Converter to handle.
If your Ventura file contains a picture format that VP Converter does not
support, try using a graphics program (such as the one that created the
picture) to save it to a supported format.
Picture file format Extension Supported? Notes
AutoCad .SLD N PageMaker can't import this format
CGM .CGM Y
DCS image file .MAS Y
Encapsulated Postscript .EPS Y
GEM (line art) .GEM Y
GEM/HALO DPE .IMG N PageMaker can't import this format
HPGL .PLT Y
.HPG Y Select the"HPGL filter" during
conversion to place .HPG files.
Lotus PIC .PIC Y
Mac Paint .PNT Y
Macintosh PICT .PCT Y
PC Paintbrush .PCX Y
TIFF .TIF Y
VideoShow .PIC Y
Windows metafile .WMF N PageMaker's supported "placeable" WMF
format differs from the standard
format VP supports.
Support for text attributes and features
Text item or feature Supported? Notes
Allow breaks within Y
Auto-numbering N No numbers or codes will show.
Automatic pair kerning Y Supported at the paragraph level only,
not file-wide or frame-wide.
Big first character N Tip: Use the "Drop Cap..." Addition
after conversion.
Bold Y
Box characters N Codes appear in text.
Box text characters Y
Bullet paragraph attribute N
Column balance N Tip: Use the "Balance columns..."
Addition on selected pages after
conversion.
Column break before Y
Column break after N
Column break before N and after
Cross References N Codes appear in text.
Define Colors N Colors redefined with a new name and
new
color model convert as the 8 standard
Ventura colors.
Double-underline N Appears as a single line.
Equations N Codes appear in text.
First line indent Y One line only.
First line outdent N
Font Y You may need to update font ID numbers
in the ALDUS.INI file for fonts to
convert correctly.
Footnote numbers N Numerical numbers appear but may not
be in sequence Ventura last displayed.
Frame anchors N Codes appear in text. After conversion
the frame appears on the page in
approximately the same position last
displayed in Ventura.
Grow inter-line to fit N
Horizontal alignment: N
decimal
Horizontal alignment: Y Tip: If large spaces appear with
justified left, center, right,
justified alignment, remove any soft
carriage returns that display in
PageMaker's story editor.
Hyphenation Y
In from right to decimal N
Index entries Y
Inter-line spacing Y
(leading)
Inter-paragraph spacing N
Italic text Y
Keep with next Y
Letter spacing Y
Marker names N Codes appear in text.
Move down to first N baseline by inter-line or cap height
Next Y position: N Beside last line of previous paragraph
Orphans (minimum N Tip: Use "Orphan control" in the
"Paragraph lines at bottom)
specifications" dialog box after
conversion.
Overall width (frame-wide) N Frame-wide widths are converted to
column-wide widths.
Overall width (column-wide) Y
Overscore N Appears as strike-thru.
Page break before Y
Page break after N
Page break before N and after
Page break before/ N until left
Page break before/ N until right
Relative indent N
Repeating frame Y Exception: Contents of a frame hidden
on a given page will become visible
after conversion.
Ruling line above text Y See "Ruling line attributes" for more
detail
Ruling line around frames Y
Ruling line around paragraphs N
Ruling line attributes:
Supported: color;
styles (weights) convert to nearest whole point size in PageMaker.
Not supported: width, space above, space below rule 3, user-defined
height of rule, pattern shades (convert as a solid line), dash width,
dash spacing, custom indent, custom width (dashes convert as a solid
line). Double 1/2 pt, Thick-Thin, Thin-Thick, Three line, Triple 1/2
point and user defined rules convert the first line thickness only.
Ruling line below text Y See "Ruling line attributes" for more
detail
Small N Characters become small caps.
Small cap size Y
Spacing: add above Y when not at column top
Spacing: add in above always N PageMaker doesn't add space above if
text is placed at top of column.
Spacing above Y Space above and space below paragraph
paragraph are added together in
PageMaker. (Ventura uses whichever is
greater: space above or space below.)
Spacing below Y Space above and space below paragraph
paragraph are added together in
PageMaker. (Ventura uses whichever is
greater: space above or space below.)
Spacing in from left Y
Spacing in from right Y
Spacing settings for N left page only or right page only
Strike-thru Y
Strike-thru height and shift N
Subscript Y
Subscript shift down Y
Subscript size Y
Superscript Y
Superscript shift up Y
Superscript size Y
Tab auto-leader N
Tab leader Y
Tab leader spacing N Leader converts with no spacing.
Tabs Y Exception: Ventura numbers tabs but
does not require you to place them in
any order from left-to-right. When the
converter discovers a tab setting that
is not in left-to-right order, it
stops converting tabs for that
paragraph.
Tables N Table codes appear in text; table
contents may appear separated by
commas.
Text rotation N
Tracking Y
Underline Y
Underline height and N shift
Variable definitions N Codes appear in text.
Vertical alignment N
Vertical justification N
Widows (minimum N Tip: Use "Widow control" in the
"Paragraph lines at top)
specifications" dialog box after
conversion.
Word spacing Y (minimum, normal, maximum space width)
Support for Ventura graphics
Graphic feature Supported? Notes
Box text Y
Circles Y
Fill patterns Y
Fill transparent N
Lines Y
Line end styles N All lines convert with square ends
Rectangles Y
Rounded rectangles Y Corners will be more rounded after
conversion; however, you can change them in
PageMaker.
Send to back, N Graphics convert in the same stacking order
bring to front as they were created in
Ventura, not in their last displayed order
Show graphic on all pages Y
Support for page layout, picture formatting, headers, footers, indexes,
TOCs, and footnotes
Feature Supported? Notes
Double-sided Y Broadsheet page size is not supported.
Double-sided, N Must insert a new page before page 1 before
start on left conversion. New page becomes
right page after conversion.
Footer Y Exception: For single-sided, start-on-left
documents, left footer is lost.
Footnotes Y Footnote text appears at end of story
after conversion (even if footnotes were
turned off but previously created).
Numerical numbers appear but may not be in
sequence Ventura last displayed.
Frame anchors N Codes appear in text. After conversion the
frame appears on the page in approximately
the same position last displayed in
Ventura.
Frame background fills Y Pattern fills convert to closest screened
fill in PageMaker.
Frame captions Y Supported for Right, Left, Above, Below,
and Caption labels extended.
Frame padding N
Header Y Exception: For single-sided, start-on-left
documents, left header is lost.
Hidden repeating frames N Hidden repeating frames appear on the
master pages in PageMaker.
Image settings N for grayscale images
Index features Y
Inserted pages Y Custom pages appear as they do in Ventura
except for unsupported features Inter-col.
and vertical rules Y May need to correct display by sending some
rules behind other elements on the page.
Landscape Y
Margins and columns Y Supported for custom widths and gutter
sizes frames with text.
Page sizes Y
Picture cropping N Picture dimensions convert properly but you
may need to adjust the areas you want
cropped.
Picture scaling N Converts picture at original size. Slight
differences in display may be apparent
after conversion.
Portrait Y
Ruling lines for frames Y Multiple lines for above, below, or around
are and pages supported.
Single-sided Y
Single-sided, left N Converts to single-sided right pages;
left-page start on left headers and footers
lost in conversion.
Single sided, right Y
Table of contents features N
Vertical alignment N
Vertical justification N
Additional notes
If your Ventura chapter file contains footnotes, the "VP
Converter..." Addition will place an invisible box on the master pages in
PageMaker 5.0 that corresponds to the location of the footnotes in the
original chapter file. All footnotes will appear at the end of their
corresponding story. If you notice that text in your converted chapter
file flows in an unexpected manner, go to the master pages in your
publication, choose "Select all" from the Edit menu, and delete invisible
boxes that appear in the expected place for footnotes. You will then
need to manually copy and paste footnotes from the end of each story into
their correct locations.
Links in Ventura chapter files must be up-to-date to ensure correct
conversion in PageMaker. It's best to use the "Copy All" command in
Ventura Publisher when making copies of chapter files and their
associated files.
Ventura chapter files with more than 256 frames will not convert
using the "VP Converter..." Addition.
You can have the converter keep a log file to help diagnose any
problems you may have converting a file. When you use this feature, the
converter creates a file called DEBUG.LOG in the root directory of your
current drive. You can open this file in a text editor such as Windows
Notepad to see a record of the Additions commands the converter uses to
create the publication in PageMaker. The log information may help you
determine why certain features or attributes from Ventura are not being
recreated in PageMaker.
To make the converter automatically record a log of Additions
commands, locate the ALDUS.INI file in the USENGLSH directory of the
ALDUS directory and open it in a text editor such as Windows Notepad. To
the end of the file (or immediately above any bracketed heading), add the
following lines:
[VP2PM]
DebugLog=ON
Then save ALDUS.INI. To stop the creation of this file, remove these
lines from the ALDUS.INI and save ALDUS.INI. You can delete the DEBUG.LOG
without causing any problems to the converter.
Whether or not you take the above steps to create a DEBUG.LOG, the
"Ventura Converter..." Addition automatically creates a file called
CONVERT.LOG if errors occur while running the converter. The CONVERT.LOG
file is stored in the directory that contains the Ventura chapter you are
converting and is automatically displayed on screen in Windows Notepad
when the conversion is complete. Once you have the information you need
from this file, you can delete it from your hard drive.
Beyond a basic set, the fonts in your Ventura chapters will not
convert to PageMaker if you have assigned them as a character level
attribute or tag attribute. You can solve this problem in two steps:
First, find the font ID number of the fonts you use most often. Second,
make specific entries into the ALDUS.INI. These steps are described
below:
1. Find the font ID number. You have two ways to find the font ID
for the fonts that are not converting. For the first method, run the
converter. When the converter does not make a font match, it starts
Windows Notepad and displays a log file, CONVERT.LOG, as described above.
The file lists the ID numbers of the fonts and their associated tag
names.
For the second method, use Windows Notepad (or a word processor if
the file is too large for Notepad) to open up the ASCII text file that
represents the text for your chapter. You will see text that looks
something like this:
<F9P16M>Hello, this is AGaramond.<F255P255D>
<F52569P16M>This is Impact.<F255P255D>
The font ID number is the 1-to-5 digit number after the <F and
before the P at the beginning of the line.
2. Create an entry for the font ID number in ALDUS.INI. Locate the
ALDUS.INI file in the USENGLSH directory of the ALDUS directory and open
it in a text editor like Windows Notepad. At the end of the file (or
immediately above any bracketed section head), create a line with the
section heading [VP2PM]. Underneath, add a line for each font like this:
FontIDXXXXX=FontName
where XXXXX is the font ID number you obtained earlier and FontName
is the name of the font as it appears in the "Font" list in PageMaker's
"Type Specifications" dialog box. When you are finished, your new lines
might look like the example below:
[VP2PM]
FontID9=AGaramond
FontID52569=Impact
Now restart PageMaker and convert your chapter. The converter will
successfully convert your font assignments.
Aldus, the Aldus logo, and PageMaker are registered trademarks of Aldus
Corporation. Ventura Publisher is a registered trademark of Corel
Corporation. Microsoft and MS-DOS are registered trademarks and Windows
is a trademark of Microsoft Corp.
______________________________________________________
> Ventura Usergroup STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Ventura Publisher Users (VPU)
=============================
Hello. Welcome to this introduction to Ventura Publisher Users (VPU)
and the TAGline newsletter. We hope in this short file to answer some of
the questions commonly asked about VPU and TAGline.
What is VPU?
------------
VPU is a non-profit making user group. It consists of people, like
yourself, who have an interest in Corel Ventura Publisher, DataBase
Publisher, and other applications that work with these products.
VPU is based in the UK and was formed in 1986. The group is run by a
committee and board of directors who are elected annually. We provide a
range of services that includes a magazine called TAGline, regular
meetings, Masterclass training days and notes, some technical support, a
range of useful software utilities, and occasional publications of
interest to Corel Ventura users. We also maintain an up-to-date wish list
of features that our users would like to see in future versions of
Ventura.
Can you join if you are outside the UK?
---------------------------------------
Yes. Although we are based in the UK, VPU has a worldwide
membership. New members from any country are welcome, and tVPU benefits
from the exchange of information and opinions from our widespread
membership.
What is TAGline?
----------------
TAGline is a magazine published ten times a year and distributed to
our members worldwide. It contains regular features on Questions and
Answers, Hints and Tips, Typefaces, Copyediting, News and Views as well
as interesting reviews of Ventura related products. The best way to find
out about TAGline is to read it. In the library you will find an
information pack called VPUTAG.ZIP that contains information about VPU
and TAGline, together with some sample pages. Simply download it and look
at the sample pages. Alternatively read the next section on how to get
more information on VPU and TAGline.
How do I join?
--------------
Joining is simple.
Send Anne Gray a message with your postal address in one of the following
ways and she will send you all the details:
- via CIS on 100012,1554
- via fax on +44 234 713757
- via phone on +44 234 241234 during UK office hours
- via post to VPU, 49 Olney Road, Emberton, OLNEY, Bucks, MK46 5BU, UK
We look forward to welcoming you to the growing family of Corel Ventura
users in VPU.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
:HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT:
_________________________________
Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo)
Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369.
Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that).
Wait for the U#= prompt.
Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN.
Are your friends "busy" buddies? Are they being left out in the
cold because their online service doesn't have room for them? Is
"Almost OnLine" as close as they're getting to BEING online? Are
they faced with busy signals, "come back later" messages and slow
response?
Well, we know how frustrated they must feel. We've been there --
done that! But, that's no longer the Case on GEnie. We've got the
room, we've got the fun and we've got the greatest users....people
just like you! So why not invite your buddies to join you on GEnie?
We've designed a slick promotion in order to give you the
opportunity to be a hero to your friends. To get them back online,
get them some free time, and introduce them to GEnie Services. What
you don't have to tell them is that you get something out of the
deal, too!
For each new user you bring to GEnie, we'll waive their first
month's subscription fee, and give them a total of TEN free hours of
standard connect time -- that's a $38.95 (C$50.95) value! If you
and your buddy are still active GEnie subscribers three months from
the date your buddy signs up, YOU get five hours of FREE standard
connect time -- a $15.00 (C$20.00) value for each buddy you sponsor!
And, for a limited time, you can even qualify for SPECIAL PRIZES!!!
In addition to the five hours of standard connect time, prizes
will be awarded to the three sponsors who bring in the most
qualifying buddies between February 3, 1994 and March 31, 1994. The
third-place Buddy sponsor will receive a GEnie satin jacket. The
second-place Buddy sponsor will receive a 9600 bps modem. And the
first-place buddy sponsor will receive a $500 gift certificate good
at your favorite computer store.
Like everything good, there are a few rules for the GEnie Buddy
Bonus Program. You'll find the complete promotion rules on the
GEnie Services Buddy Bonus page (type BUDDY or M1111). Be sure you
review the complete rules before you contact your friends.
So, if your buddies have been bragging about that other online
service, just remind them that a pretty interface ain't worth squat
if it doesn't log on! Bring them over to GEnie....we may not be
pretty just yet, but we're definitely more fun! And, if a GUI is
that important to them, tell them that we'll have both Mac and
Windows front ends before the other guys get more computers!
DON'T GET _IN-LINE_ ....GET ONLINE!
GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric
Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable
/____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________
/_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
/__/|____/|__|________|__/
/__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm
/__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/
An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group
*** STReport available in MAC RT ***
ASCII TEXT
for ALL GEnie users!
MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
======================
Randy Noak, Editor
Random Thoughts from Mac Report HQ
(or, Hey, if they can do this in MacWorld and MacUser, so can I )
Just when we thought it was over, Northwest Indiana gets hit with 7
inches of new snow! Yep, after being lulled into thinking that Winter was
over by 60 degree temperatures, old Mother Nature decided to play a
little "joke". Hmmm. I wonder why no one is laughing? Be that as it may,
Mac Report HQ stands ready to provide a little warmth via news and
reviews.
I'm getting real excited about the soon-to-come PowerMacs. By all
indications, they should provide Intel and Microsoft some real
competition in both price and performance. Compatibility is reported to
be very high with existing Mac applications (speeds somewhere between a
fast 68030 machine and a slow 68040) , and most developers are busily re-
compiling their software to run in PowerMac native mode (speeds 2-4 times
the fastest Quadra!). All that speed means that just about everything
that you now have to wait for your Mac to do will take place in real-
time. Like I said, I'm real excited about this. Now all that remains is
for me figure out how to "explain" that I "need" a PowerMac to my wife.
If anyone has any ideas on how to do this without causing extreme marital
strife they will be _most_ welcome!
Regular readers of Mac Report may recall that my New Years
Resolution was to start using Quicken to track my personal expenses and
checking account. This is the first resolution that I have ever kept and
I could kick myself for not doing this sooner. For the first time, my
checkbook actually balances! I feel, well, in control. The master of my
finances. My wife and I have also started tracking all of our spending in
hopes (yes it does spring eternal), of getting our complete financial
house in order. This is also working well.
Also working well is my Supra 144LC faxmodem. I use it with AOL's
software, CompuServe's Navigator and Information Manager, and with GEnie
Nav Lite. All work well with the Supra. This is my second Supra modem
(the first being a 2400 baud modem) and I've been very pleased with them
both. Supra gets a big "thumbs-up" from Mac Report.
In this issue, Games Editor, Guillaume Brasseur reviews Another Fine
Mess, a shareware game, GEnie's Bill Martin gives us a sneak preview of
the "Lindy", and we present news about the Flash and Artistry. Check it
out!
_______________________________________
> Another Fine Mess! STR Review
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
ANOTHER FINE MESS
=================
by Guillaume Brasseur, Associate Editor - Games
"Another Fine Mess" is a game that you scavenger hunters will truly
enjoy. This is Ray's second game, following "Ray's Maze that he created
a while back. For you ancient Macintosh users, this game resembles the
ancient murder mysteries of "Dj Vu", "Dj vu 2" and the "Dark Castle"
adventure. It was created using the World Builder program that allows
you to see what scene you are in and to interact with the game as well.
As you start, you are assigned the character of Fearless Frank that
you will use to play the game. You have to go through a series of scenes
while solving mind-boggling puzzles to survive. The game has roughly 310
rooms of play in which you have to pay attention to every detail to go
on. You need to go through almost all the rooms to win the game. The
object is to collect as much maximum point value prizes as possible so
that Frank's trip is successful.
At the beginning you will enter a store. There, you have to choose
between many objects that you can buy that will help you through the
game. Be very wise in your decisions, some objects are more valuable
than others. I also suggest that you convert as much money as possible
into Raybucks for they will help you pay for your expenses throughout the
trip, not to mention bribing some characters into giving you information.
When you are done, you head east towards the maze. The game in itself is
not made up of full color animation as the new games are but it does have
its charm. Solving the riddles and puzzles that are presented to you
should keep you distracted enough as to not to even notice that detail.
Every detail of a scene must be examined, from dots on a wall to a
rock in a swamp. The game is full of comedy. At some point, a rock will
say turn me over only to reveal a sigh of relief. As Ray put it, "If you
are allergic to bad puns and warped humor, this game is not for you!" No
matter how upset you get of dying and loosing, do not curse at the game
because it will lower your moral character status. You must also watch
out for interesting features such as jump doors. They may help you by
getting you out of hard situations but they are sometimes tricky. When
an unstable jump door appears, it is wisest to save your game and then go
through because you have a good chance of finding yourself in front of
the barrels of 100 tanks about to fire.
This game is shareware so it will not cost you anything. I do
suggest however that you send the $10 dollar registration fee to Ray
because he will send you vital information that will really help you out.
After all, what is a measly $10 dollars considering that it can save you
many hours of anger, desperation and confusion.
As I have said above, this game was not created using the most
advanced of technologies but it is great for strategy and thinking. Ray
has really done a good job in designing such a complete game, considering
that it involves so many scenes and clues. You can obtain this game
through shareware and it will bring you many hours of enjoyment and
action. It will also tell you a lot about Ray for this game was designed
using his relatives (he says, and I quote, "the Faerie Queen is modeled
after my wife, Cris") and his attitude. This game is just plain non-stop
fun and I invite you all to check it out.
Furthermore, Ray is designing a new game, "A mess O' trouble" and is
planning to design a CD-ROM game similar to "Myst". With the talent he
has showed in designing this game it wouldn't surprise me if his new
games were to become best sellers!!!
(Editor's Note: Another Fine Mess is available for download from most
online services. Also, AFM is _not_ 32-bit clean, so be sure and turn off
32-bit addressing before starting to play)
_____________________________________
> Artistry STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""
Artistry covers Fractal Design Software
=======================================
Karen Sperling, who wrote the Painter manuals and Companion, is starting
a how-to newsletter called Artistry that will cover all of Fractal
Design's software. The mag will be enthusatically supported by FD.
It will feature:
-Illustrations created with Painter, X2, Dabbler, ColorStudio and
Sketcher.
-Simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions.
-Profiles of artists who use Fractal's software.
-Examples of their work and explanations of how it was created.
-Tips and tricks for special effects.
-News about seminars and books.
-Information about related subjects, like output.
-Many other news stories, features and departments, too numerous to
mention!
Artistry will be published 10 times a year. Subscriptions are $49.95 for
1 year, 10 issues; $89.95 for 2 years, 20 issues. To subscribe, send a
check or money order payable to Artistry, the newsletter, to Karen
Sperling, 342 E.65th St.-2RW, New York, N.Y. 10021. Be sure to include
your name, title and company if any, address. Karen is looking for
contributors.
___________________________________
If you slave "over a hot laser printer" like I do, this next item should
be of great interest.
Flash Magazine
The Premier Journal of Desktop Printing
The Flash Magazine is a bimonthly, full color, glossy magazine all about
laser printing and desktop publishing (circulation including newsstands
of 50,000).
Each issue contains dozens of laser printing tips and techniques as well
as feature articles exploring topics like: Laser Printer Maintenance &
Repairs You Can Make; Specialty Papers; Tricks & Techniques in to Get the
Best Copy; Papers and Your Printer; Going to Press; Publishing a
Newsletter on Your Laser; Transfer Toner; New Laws Affecting Consumers
and Computer Users; Business Issues; Desktop & Self Publishing; The
Environment; and much more.
What do readers & reviewers say about the Flash Magazine?
"Flash Magazine, the brain child of Walter Jeffries, is one of those
peculiar and endearing Vermont institutions that is reminiscent of Mother
Earth News, The Old Farmer's Almanac, or Ben & Jerry's Ice cream...The
Flash has achieved cult status among Jeffries' 18,000 readers. If you
use a laser printer, you owe it to yourself to get a subscription to the
Flash." - Warren Keuffel, Computer Language Magazine
"The Flash is one of the few publications I read cover to cover. It has
the highest useful content ratio of any publication I read. Thanks for
providing a great Service!" - Terry Swensen, Lenexa, KS
"You don't have to be a rocket Scientist to understand it!" - Dianne
Altieri, Varre, MA
"If you spend too much time hovering over a hot laser printer, the Flash
may be just the publication you're looking for." - Victoria von Biel,
Power Tools, MacUser Magazine
If you own, use, or covet a laser printer then you owe it to yourself to
read the Flash! Subscriptions are $15/year (6 issues) in the USA, 2
years for $28, 3 years for $39. Add $10 per year in Canada and Mexico and
$20 per year in other countries. Foriegn orders shipped airmail. First
class subscriptions are available in the USA for $10 extra per year.
Cover price is $3.95US, $4.95Canadian. Ask for it at your local
bookstore or newsstand!
Due to the high demand for back issues of the Flash, BlackLightning has
published Flash Compendium (ISBN 1-881676-00-5 $12.95) a book of the best
of the Flash from the first issue through the summer of 1992 plus many
new articles never before published. All of the articles and
illustrations are completely updated and indexed for easy reference. The
book is also available on CD-ROM as the Laser Printer Companion ($49.95)
which includes many articles that were not included in the book form as
well as the Fall 1992 issue. Add $3 per item for shipping in the USA, $5
to Canada or Mexico, $8 to other countries
"[Flash Compendium] is the most enlightening computer book I have ever
read...a must-have for all laser printer owners." - Book reviewer James
Moran, CompuServe Magazine
To subscribe or order the book or CD: (Checks & Visa/MC accepted) Flash
Magazine, BlackLightning Publishing, Inc., Riddle Pond Road, West
Topsham, VT 05086. Fax (802) 439-6463 CompuServe [73130,1734] Tel (802)
439-6462 1-800-851-7809
For a sample copy of the Flash Magazine send a self addressed stamped
($1.21) envelope (large size 6"x9") to Holly at the postal address above
she'll send you a sample copy. Readers outside the USA can order a sample
pack for $10 to cover airmail postage using Visa or MasterCard.
_____________________________________
From Bill Martin on GEnie comes this enticing preview of the "Lindy"
,Apple's second-generation Newton.
Reports regarding the features of the second Apple Newton device,
codenamed "Lindy" are starting to solidify. Due sometime in March, this
second generation Newton will offer several changes and enhancements.
Among these are:
A re-designed case: Taller, and slimmer in the middle, this Newton will
sport a top-hinged cover that folds out of the way and clips to the back
of the unit when in use. The case is slimmer because one complaint
regarding the original MessagePad is that some find it hard to hold.
Lindy is narrower overall than it's predecessor, but is especially so
where most people will grasp it.
Re-located PCMCIA II Card Slot: As the cover of the new unit is hinged
at the top, the card slot has been moved to the side, allowing
unobstructed access.
Increase in memory: The original MessagePad shipped with 640K of RAM.
The new Lindy will contain 1 MB of RAM, which allows for much more room
for things like:
More user data - almost three times the current space. Improved
handwriting recognition - More room for this function to be performed.
Deferred handwriting translation: A potentially big new feature is the
Lindy's ability to save your handwritten text as "digital ink" (something
the current MessagePad _can_ do) and then later, when it's more
convienent, translate it into computer-readable text. The current
MessagePad must perform the translation immediately, which sometimes
slows down the performance of the unit. This hinders it's usefulness for
tasks such as note-taking. The new Lindy should be much better at this.
Power source: Apple is moving to four "AA" batteries on the Lindy. This
is different from the four "AAA" batteries found in the original
MessagePad unit. One benefit here will be the increase in battery life,
as AA cells contain more energy than their AAA counterparts.
Apple will also offer a stand-up charger for the Lindy, allowing you to
slide the unit into a stand, and not have to remove the batteries. This
will, of course, require that you use rechargeable batteries.
While some things will be different, some will be similar. The icons
found at the bottom of the current MessagePad's screen will also appear
on the Lindy. This means that the same means of controlling the device
and its software will be used on the new unit. The screen, however, will
be slightly (four pixels) shorter than the MessagePad.
What about the nifty Newton stylus? Well, it gets revamped in the new
unit. It will be round, and will telescope to fit into a spring-loaded
slot in the side of the case.
As Sharp has decided not to manufacture the next Newton for Apple, the
Lindy will be produced by the Taiwanese firm Inventec.
_____________________________________
That's it for this week. As always, please feel free to send your
comments or questions to me at:
America OnLine: STReportRN
Compuserve: 70323,1031
GEnie: R.NOAK
**********************************************************************
IMPORTANT NOTICE!
=================
STReport International Online Magazine is available every week for
your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join
DELPHI and become a part of a friendly community of enthusiastic computer
users there.
SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI
======================
Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access
DELPHI services via a local phone call
JOIN --DELPHI
--------------
Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002
then...
When connected, press RETURN once or twice
and...
At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN.
DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any
baud rate. The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online. For
more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 DELPHI
is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, MA.
Try DELPHI for $1 an hour!
For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and
receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only
$5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end
of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your
account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic
Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a
minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96.
But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage
of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press
<RET> once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and
press <RET> again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or
two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI!
DELPHI-It's getting better all the time!
**********************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Here we go again!! Winter has seemed to not give up its hold on us
yet. Another major storm hit New England Wednesday and another is
predicted for Friday!! I guess this is nature's way of getting us back
for a terrific weekend last week. Oh well, where'd my shovel go...?
A bit of old trivia for you. I couldn't remember where I had first
heard of STReport, until a few days ago. I'm not sure whether or not I
mentioning purchasing a friend's Atari system recently. That system
included lots of software, both commercial and public domain. Included
with the PD software were a lot of old STart, Analog/ST-Log, and ST
X-Press magazine disks. I was going through them to see which ones I
already had, to re-format the duplicates. As I was looking over the ST
X-Press disks, something on the disk's label caught my eye. Among other
things, "STREPORTS" was boldly visible. Naturally, I had to take a look
at this. The disk contained 3 back issues of STReport; this particular
disk was from December of 1988. I read through the issues and was
surprised that I had remembered reading them before. Ironically, a lot
of what was being said back then is still being said today. It's amazing
that in some ways, things haven't changed all that much with Atari. It's
nice to know, however, that STReport really made that much of an impact
in those years to be included on a great Atari magazine's monthly disk.
In those days, the aforementioned Ron Kovacs and Ralph Mariano were a
team publishing the magazine. A sign of better times...?
Some interesting Jaguar tidbits have crossed my path recently. The
national rollout, although slow and perhaps delayed, has started,
finally. Atari's Don Thomas recently stated on Compuserve that the ad
campaign and other plans would be starting within 30-45 days. Details of
that announcement are later in this issue.
What bothers me, somewhat, is what's happened to push back this
rollout. Atari, so far, is late by a quarter. Is this something to be
concerned about? I don't know. Earlier in the month, there was an
announcement from IBM about layoffs in their North Carolina plant.
Coincidentally, that plant is the one responsible for the manufacturing
of the Jaguar. One can't help but wonder whether or not this layoff has
had any influence on the delays that Atari has experienced. The IBM
announcement is included in this issue also.
Is this history repeating itself? One can only wonder because of
past Atari experiences. No one really wants to believe that the Jaguar
may be plagued by similar product delays and other problems of the past.
Certainly, we all want Atari to succeed with _every_ new product that
they develop. Atari's successes are _our_ successes. Hopefully, we'll
be able to provide some answers to these questions in the near future.
Speaking of Atari history, there have been numerous on-again,
off-again policies that either allowed, or "banned" various mail order
dealers from selling Atari hardware. When the Falcon was finally
released, Atari's new dealer contract stipulated that mail order was not
allowed except in rare cases. Well, now that Falcons aren't being
currently produced, or overly supported by Atari, they've decided to once
again allow mail order sales of the Falcon. This also includes
advertising Falcon prices. To-date, I've seen 2 online ads for Falcons
from 2 established Atari dealers, including prices. While I understand
this revamped policy will allow better penetration of Falcons, one
concern is what will happen to the smaller Atari dealers that can't
compete? The original policy was adopted to give every dealer an equal
chance, but that's now gone if people are willing to shop around and take
advantage of mail order. I view this change with mixed emotions, at
best. In the long run, I hope there are more Falcon sales, but will it
be a case of "too little, too late."
For over a year now, we've heard complaints from Atari SLM printer
and Falcon owners that the printer was not usable on the Falcon. Over
and over again we heard that there were 3rd party developers working on
an adaptor to overcome this problem. Well, it was recently learned that
there is not a solution to this problem, from Europe. It's too bad that
SLM owners have to pay (again) for the ability to use their Atari lasers,
but at least there's a way. Further on this issue is an announcement
with details about this new adaptor.
Well, this issue has some interesting announcements, some as
mentioned above. As usual, our weekly columnists/editors also have
provided us with some interesting stuff this week. I'd better finish
this week's issue up soon to get ready for snowstorm #2 this week!
Until next time...
Falcon Accelerators!! > STR FOCUS!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The 32 mhz accelerator boards for Falcon 030 computer are finally here.
There are two versions: (1) The Eagle Sonic 32 when in use will
deactivate the original 16 mhz 68030 processor and all function will be
taken over by the accelerator board. This board fit into the Falcon
internal expansion port no case modification is required. Installation
requires some soldering, price $459. (2) The Mighty Sonic 32 has all of
the features as Eagle Sonic and optionally, it can be populated with up
to 32 meg of TT fast RAM using 1 or 4 meg simm. Due to the size of this
board, it will not fit into the Falcon case and some soldering is
required, price $659.
Please call ATY Computer at (510) 482-3775 to order.
Thank you
Alex Yu, Owner
Jaguar Ads to Start Again!!> STR InfoFile
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
According to Atari's Don Thomas earlier this week, Atari will be re-
starting their national advertising campaign in the next few weeks.
According to Thomas:
"I was told today that I can spill some beans...
Advertising in New York for the Jaguar has been turned back on. San
Francisco will soon follow. Within 30 to 45 days, ads (TV) will begin
appearing in LA, Chicago, Boston, Washington, Dallas, Detroit and
Atlanta.
The "barf" commercial will be used. I was not permitted to argue with
statistics that showed clearly that that commercial worked! Then again,
I don't personally approve of blood and guts games EXCEPT that seems to
be what sells and I am MORE FOR providing the consumers what they want.
This information and list is subject to change pending final media buys,
scheduling, market changes, etc.
BTW, there are MANY reasons for the selection of markets. For instance,
Radio Shack (Incredible Universe) is located in Dallas/Ft. Worth. It
only makes sense to offer them a local feeling of the impact. Marketing
is a strategy that involves numerous levels... we don't only sell to end
users, but to the distribution and retail channels too.
In any case... F.Y.I."
-- Don Thomas
Jaguar Kiosks For Sale!
In another announcement from Don Thomas:
"For those who have seen the Jaguar store Kiosk or display, it looks a
lot like an arcade machine. It has an arcade pedestal, stereo speakers,
crisp color monitor and ergonomic presentation.
This display was designed and is being used for in-store display
purposes. It is also ideal (in my opinion) for recreation rooms,
doctor's offices and other professional waiting areas that like having
a high-tech look or like impressing their clients (great therapy too!
<g>)
After being prodded by some people in E-Mail, I have received permission
to make these available for just those types of purposes. I do not have
sales brochures on this and I am not particularly interested in making
a business out of selling these as they do not represent our mass market
offerings, BUT I sure wish I could afford one (they ain't cheap) for my
home.
BTW the kiosk is complete and pre-assembled for the most part (includes
color monitor, monitor cable, speakers and speaker wires). The ONLY item
missing is the Jaguar system... you must supply that. Maybe some of you
who saw these at CES can step in and tell everyone how cool they are.
Again, these were not intended for end user use and are not priced for
that purpose, but I thought it would be neat if I could get approval to
make them available.
SERIOUS inquiries can be directed to me in E-Mail. Feel free to
distribute this notice as you wish, but all interested parties MUST
contact me in E-Mail on CompuServe (75300,1267). Payment terms will be
prepaid on Visa, MasterCard or Cashier's Check. I reserve the right to
revoke this offer at any time without notice. Price discussed in E-Mail
only."
-- Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
_________________________________________
> SLM Interface! STR InfoFile A _VERY EXPENSIVE_ SOLUTION
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Heatseeker: the Falcon030--SLM interface!
=========================================
Current Version: 1.01.
Specification: Interface between Falcon030 and SLM 804 or SLM 605.
Supplier: R.O.M., Berlin
Raschdorffstrasse 99
13409 Berlin
Germany
Phone: +49 / 30 492 41 27
FAX: +49 / 30 491 93 67
If you're calling the phone lines, please think
about time differences. Berlin's in the Central
European Time Zone (CET), which is Greenwich Mean
Time plus one hour.
FAX lines are open 24 hrs. a day.
Includes: -"Heatseeker" interface-hardware.
-GDOS-driver-software.
-DIABLO printer-emulation.
-Drivers for 1st Word Plus and similar.
-Drivers for That's Write, Composcript etc.
-Installation-, setup- and test software.
-FontGDOS or SpeedoGDOS (Speedo causes extra
costs) including raster, or (in the
Speedo-package) vector fonts, the usual
device-drivers (such as MEMORY.SYS, META.SYS),
installation-accessories and CPXes.
-Special configuration CPX for the Diablo emulator.
-Documentation.
Price: 199.-- DM (currently ca. 110 Dollars).
Optional: -SpeedoGDOS 4.2 package.
-Calamus/Calamus SL driver
Features:
The hardware was designed to be very error-tolerant. The problems
you might have had using the old "SLMC" controller when switching off
the laser with the computer turned on or booting with an offline laser
do not longer [sic] exist. You can now turn the laser on and off
whenever you want. The hardware is very small and handy and does not
consume as much space as the SLMC-controller. Its current size is
50mm*77mm*13mm. The Heatseeker is easily installed and can as well be
easily removed with a single grip.
The software provides a maximum of compatibility, since it is
licensed original-Atari-software that was modified to control the
Heatseeker-hardware. This allows to run even those programs that are
relatively close to the hardware.
Programs printing plain ASCII-text work as well as those printing
bitmap-rasters through the functions provided by the Diablo-emulator.
Even Gnu-Ghostscript, Gnu's postscript emulator, runs without any
problems.
The memory consumption is very low (at about 100 k). Compatibility to
GDOS-applications such as Xact, Prolist or such is provided through a
GDOS-driver that can handle scalable SpeedoGDOS-vector fonts as well as
graphics.
The package includes special drivers for some programs, such as That's
Write or Composcript.
Easy-to-use CPXes allow fast configuration of your system.
________________________________________
> The Old Fishin' Hole STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The Old Fishin' Hole
====================
-A Guide to the Online PD/Shareware Waters.
by John R. Duckworth
It seems that the famous winter flu has finally caught up with me.
Between coughs and sniffles, I've noticed that life in 'Atariland hasn't
gotten much easier. Most of us still have no local dealer, new
commercial entertainment software for the Falcon030 is virtually
non-existent, and for those of us lucky enough to own one of those nifty,
cutting-edge Jaguar units...we'll have to be satisfied playing one of the
few games that have thus far been released. But enough about the
negative, this column is dedicated to the public domain and shareware
efforts of the Atari community, and although offerings as of late have
been rather slow, most of those packages presented have been of extremely
high quality...hopefully this trend will continue. This week I'll take a
look at a fun arcade-type game and also a nifty little utility which has
just been updated.
"Winglord" by Victor Bruhn is, at it's simplest level can be
described as a "Joust" clone. But, instead of winged ostriches, this
version features winged unicorns. A player may enter the competition
alone, with a computer controlled helper, or with another human player to
work as a team against the several varieties of unicorn-riding enemies.
In addition to the above mentioned baddies, yellow-jacket bees will come
to battle the games in many of the levels. Against these new enemies,
the player can unleash special missile weapons...which are one of the few
refreshing new twists to the old theme. As the game progresses, the
levels get more challenging and the players are transported to different
arenas. The player and enemy characters in the game are nicely animated
and move about the screen smoothly...although the are a bit small in
size. The game also could utilize more colors, but since it was designed
to work on all of the 680x0 systems...the common denominator for the
screen displays of course is ST low resolution which is what the game
uses. One advantage of running on an STe or above is the addition of
great sound effects which utilize the DMA sound available on these
models.
While "Winglord" is no breakthrough in game ideas or design, it is a
very playable game with exciting promise. The shareware demo version
available online is only playable up to level 19...to reach higher levels
the user will need to get the registered version from the author at a
very reasonable fee of eight dollars.
Next up is "The Revenge Document Displayer" v. 3.10 by Stuart Coates
a programmer in Great Britain. "The Revenge Document Displayer" (known as
RDD the rest of this article) is yet another text reader. While I have
reviewed several such programs in the past months, RDD is neither the
best nor the worst of its class.
Let me preface the following review by stating that I tested this
package on a Falcon, and users of other models may get different mileage
out of it than I did. I was extremely happy to see that an old favorite
of mine had finally been updated to run on the Falcon. Well, as it turns
out, RDD 3.10 and I did not get along from the start. After the
installation process, which happens to be a very nifty idea (the program
which is extracted from the archive is actually an installer which in
turn extracts the RDD program from itself per user specifications) I
attempted to simply run the program to see if I could take a look at a
text file. As soon as the file selector box appeared on my monitor, the
system froze...time for a reboot. Second try, the same thing happened.
Next, I decided to boot from a clean system (except for my atari mouse
accelerator, which I am never without), but the program still refused to
continue. So, after great thought, I booted without the mouse
accelerator...and what do you know...it ran fine. But do I really want
to have to use my system without my beloved accelerator? No. But you
are the master of your system, so decide for yourself.
Once the program is up and running it is like any other text
displayer, although unlike "MasterBrowse", it is not GEM compliant and
will probably not run under multitasking operating systems. The program
has most of the other standard displayer functions like blocking,
searching, printing, and bookmarks. Some of the unusual features which
can be useful include switching between the ST and IBM character sets, a
50/60 Hz toggle, and limited picture viewing. This program runs very
fast in ST medium resolution and scrolling with the mouse make the text
fly by, but in Falcon high resolution modes scrolling slows down to a
crawl.
If you aren't happy with your current text file viewer then maybe
you should check out this program...or better yet give "MasterBrowse 3.5"
a try. I expected a bit more from this update, perhaps faster scrolling
on higher resolutions and better compatibility. Old favorites die hard,
but in this case it may be a long time before I download another version
of "The Revenge Document Displayer".
Well, that's all for this week...I need to get some rest. See y'all
online.
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Old Fishin Hole Tackle Box * |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Winglord |
| Delphi: Atari Advantage - READ WINGLORD |
| |
| Revenge Document Displayer 3.10 |
| Delphi: Atari Advantage - READ REVENGE |
| CompuServe: Atari Productivity Forum- RDD31.ZIP (lib. 4) |
+----------------------------------------------------------------+
* The Tackle Box is meant to provide assistance in finding files
mentioned in the column. It should not be considered a COMPLETE listing
and is provided for convenience only. Delphi Atari Advantage files should
be found in the Recent Arrivals section of the database until moved to
their appropriate sections.
_____________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by Joe Mirando
Hidi ho firends and neighbors. Its time once again to check out all the
hints, tips, gossip, and news available on CompuServe, the best "rest
area" on this here electronic highway. So let's check it out...
From the Atari Productivity Forum
=================================
Greg Wageman continues a conversation from last week about JPEG and GIF
graphics compressions:
"JPEG images can be 24-bit color, which means they'll be at least 3
times larger (uncompressed) for an approximately equivalent GIF, which
by definition can be at most 256 colors (8 bit with a color table).
Depending upon how much "loss" you are willing to accept, you can vary
the compression rate of JPEG compression. JPEG can give you up to
100:1 compression (very lossy), although 10:1 gives good results."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Greg:
"That's true about the source of the picture file, Greg.. I guess I
was assuming that Ralph had been using a "standard" GIF image in his
experiments.
I'd started doing some JPEG experiments of my own, to see how much the
lossyness affected the image quality at different settings, but gave
it up because the system I was using (a '286 PS/2) was just too slow...
now that I have a faster system, it might be interesting to try it
again.."
Sysop Jim Ness jumps in and posts:
"Graphics Works for Windows is a great program for that type of
conversions. It's what I used to convert over 1 meg of Targa pics of
the Jaguar to about 180k of JPEG shots. GWS uses a 1-100% "quality"
setting, and I used the 80% setting. I personally could not see any
difference in quality at that setting."
Rob Rasmussen continues another discussion. This one's about finding a
monitor for the Falcon030:
"So if I had a VGA monitor, which I understand can do 640 x 480 max,
then no way can I get more out of it from a Falcon with Screenblaster?
Like you said, I think I need the SVGA for higher rez like 1024 x 768,
but I'm not clear on how high SVGA can go. Other than size, is there a
big difference between different models?"
Sysop Bob Retelle, in the very rare situation of not knowing the correct
answer, tells Rob:
"Actually I'm not really certain how software "resolution enhancers"
like Screenblaster really work... that is, I don't know if they really
do provide a "true" higher resolution, which would require a higher
resolution capable monitor, or if they can "fool" a regular VGA monitor
into displaying what appears to be higher resolution...
Maybe someone who's used that kind of setup on a Falcon could fill us
in...
(Actually, there's not a whole lot of cost difference any more between
VGA and SVGA monitors in the same screen size... a 14" SVGA monitor
would be worth getting over a 14" VGA for the slight difference in
cost...)"
Yat Siu of Lexicor tells Rob and Bob:
"By expanding over the monitors limitations you can either blow it up
<grin> or use the virtual resolution modes..i.e. scroll around on a
higher resolution.
If the monitor says 640x480max I have two things to say.
1) Don't buy it new unless it's real cheap <smile>
2) and yes, 640x480 is all it can handle and if you plan to purchase a
Screenblaster or BlowUp then don't get it unless you like Interlace
modes."
Jim Ness explains a bit about how the Screenblaster works:
"Screenblaster provides an external synch to the Falcon (which has
that as one of it's connector pins). The faster "clock" allows a
higher resolution, using the rest of the Falcon video hardware. There
is also a piece of software, which loads new values into the video
registers, to set up various resolutions common to SVGA monitors.
People have had pretty good results with it.
So, to Rob's question: Buy a decent $350 monitor, which advertizes
1024x768 non-interlaced. The monitor will be good enough for anything
the Falcon can put out."
Rob Rasmussen asks a slightly different question about the monitor:
"OK, I now know not to settle for VGA because I'll want higher rez.
Can't get more out of it. A monitor that advertises 1024 x 768 - is
this a SVGA monitor? If so, I'll also want to use 640x480 sometimes.
I'm not sure, but if I run some ST programs on the Falcon, wouldn't I
need the monitor to display the 3 ST resolutions as well, or can they
just run in the higher rez? If the SVGA monitor can display all those
lower rezes, would that mean it's a multiscan monitor?"
Sysop Bob tells Rob:
"The industry has stopped "naming" all those resolutions. My own 14"
monitor, which can go up to 1024x768x256 non-interlaced (higher, if
interlaced) says UVGA on the bezel. I think that's just a marketing
ploy, not an official designation. FYI, my monitor is an Acer 34T,
commonly available at discount retailers for a little over $300. The
15" version (56T, I think) usually goes for about $450.
It's rare these days to find a monitor capable of scanning down as low
as the ST resolutions need. Mine certainly won't. If you find one,
it'll probably be pretty expensive."
Rob adds:
"On the ST, programs need to run in a certain rez. Some will run in all
3, some only in low, some only in high, etc. I also knew an Atari
monitor (or TV on early STs) had to be used with the ST, not VGA or any
other monitor, because of how the ST was designed. So in a way, I'm
surprised that those programs will now run in (S)VGA rez on a Falcon. I
suppose the ST was more the limitation than the monitor, and that the
programs are not actually rez-dependent."
Boris Molodyi tells Rob:
"Actually, those old programs that run only in certain resolutions
would run on Falcon's compatibility mode on SVGA monitor, because
Falcon's ST resolutions, while internally being the same (same number
of pixels and colors), are different in their scan rates. I.e.,
Falcon's scan rates, when using SVGA monitor, are SVGA compatible,
instead of being (much lower) frequancies that the original ST used."
Yat Siu tells Rob:
"Once you have an SVGA Monitor you can do any Rez (i.e. 1024x768) from
STlow to Blow Up (1280x1024 uhm or 1024x768). 1024x768 is a resolution
accepted to be known as the "VESA" standard (?). Most SVGA are
multiscan......"
Jim Ness Posts:
"Toad just started advertising mail order service over on GEnie.
Remember, the Falcon was supposed to only be sold by authorized
dealers, who each had a territory? There was this big stink about
having to sign the new, more restrictive, dealer contract for Falcons.
Toad says they just signed an addendum allowing them to sell via mail
order. So, Atari has given up on their idea. It actually was not a
bad idea, for a product that would be in great demand. The Falcon just
never met that criteria."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Jim:
"Deja-vu... sounds like the last time Atari made a big noise about
"protecting their dealers" by prohibiting mail order, and then letting
it die quietly in the night when they suddenly realized they didn't
HAVE any dealers left to protect...
Toad may be one of the few sources of Falcons left in the world, so it
makes sense to let them sell to anyone who wants one..
Have "addenums" been given to everyone who was forced to sign the
Falcon agreement?"
Jim adds:
"Toad is the only one I've seen who announced mail order service. I
expect Computer Studio in North Carolina will follow. They are very
well thought of and have taken email orders for non-Falcon equipment
for years."
Charles Smeton of NewSTar Technology tells Jim Ness:
"I expect that each dealer will have to decide on their own if they
will sign any addendum to their original Falcon dealer agreement. To
the best of my knowledge, this is a recent developement. Maybe some
input from someone at Atari would be helpful to fill in the details."
Peter Breger asks about upgrading TOS versions:
"Hi there ! I am trying to upgrade my 1040STFM to a higher TOS. The
board has two ROM chips in pos U63,U67. There are no sockets soldered
onto the PC board. I have now soldered these in to allow the 6 ROM
chips to be plugged in. The PCboard is version C070789-001 REVD. I have
tried plugging in a TOS 1.4 version that I have previously used on a
520ST, but cant get past the blank screen before the boot is aborted
and restarts again. Apart from a bad solder job, what else is wrong ?
Does this 1040 need a different ROM set, or are there printed circuit
connections missing on this version of the PCboard ?"
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Peter:
"I know there was a definite procedure for upgrading a 2 chip TOS
machine to the 6 chip version of TOS 1.4... I don't know if we still
have it in our software libraries here, but it would be worth looking
for.
Possibly someone else here might still have it too... I don't
remember any of the details, but I do recall there were some chip
select lines that had to be enabled, I believe..."
Mike Myers tells us:
"I need a simpe way to reset my computer's internal clock when I boot.
I checked the library, and downloaded a couple, but couldn't figure the
documentation, or there was none. HELP!
Sysop Bob Retelle tels Mike:
"If you're using the Control Panel ACCessory you can change the time it
displays by clicking your mouse pointer in the time and date displays,
then typing in the correct time and date."
Mike tells Bob:
"I don't believe I have that accessory. I bought the computer and
programs from a family member, who doesn't remeber what he put into it
about 9 years ago. What is the control panel accessory?"
Bob tells Mike:
"The Control Panel ACCessory is a small program that lets you control
many of the functions of the ST... the original one comes on a disk
with the computer if you buy it new (you may or may not have gotten
that disk when you bought your computer used). If you have the
"Language Disk" with an Atari label on it, the Control Panel ACCessory
is on that disk.
We also have the program available here in our software libraries.
There's a newer version called the XCONTROL PANEL that has a lot more
features in it too... it also lets you set the time when you boot up.
I'm not sure what the filename would be, but if you BROwse in the
software libraries (use ALL when it asks you which library) using a
keyword like CONTROL, it should turn up.
There are also a number of other programs you can run when you boot up
that will let you set the time and date... BROwsing with a keyword of
TIME will probably turn those up too."
Greg Wageman tells Mike:
"I downloaded an auto folder date/time setter from the libraries here.
It's really smart about how it handles your input, initializing its
guess about the current data/time from the last time you booted your
computer with it. To change a field, you only have to type the
minimally-unambiguous new info. FOr example, if you last booted on
Friday, February 18, 1994 but today is Sunday, you can just type "sun"
and it will figure out the rest. Once the keboard clock has been set
by this program, you will not have to type anything; it resets the
system clock from the keyboard clock (unless of course you power off
the computer).
I had to get such a program because I switched from a SCSI host
adaptor with a built-in battery-backed clock to an ICD Link, which has
no clock."
Our pal Brian Gockley of ST INFORMER posts this about the Falcon:
"The Falcon represents a good value improvement over the older ST
machines, but has not sold particularly well. It has three main
drawbacks, 1) the clone price wars have pushed computer prices so low
that the Falcon is actually a bit steep, 2) the video resolution is
fixed at 15bit, with a max resolution of 640 x 480 (third parties take
it higher), and 3) it was put into a one piece case, virtually
identical to the 520/1040, so there is little room for internal
upgrades, older style bus devices and there is no detached keyboard.
There have been a decent number of new Falcon applications released,
that take advantage of the extended palette, DSP chip, etc., but
developers have taken a wait and see attitude.
On the other hand, the Falcon comes with a very good startup software
package; including AtariWorks, a PIM calender, a system sound manager,
a Direct to Disk music recording package, a real time sound effects
generator, a Talking Clock and some games. It sports a very nifty
looking desktop with full color icons and Multitasking capabilities.
You can now open dozens of windows, place your favorite
files/programs/folders on the desktop, and control everything with
keystrokes or a mouse. The Falcon has an internal IDE drive (85Mb) that
is whisper quite, though it pushes the case up a tad, as well as a true
SCSI port on the back. It has a microphone port that accepts a mini DIN
connector, which then allows you to record your voice directly to a
file, or attach that file to your document. You get a slew of
resolutions, including a no palette 320x200 screen w 64,000 colors
available at once.
Technologically, the 16Mhz 68030 is not exactly the latest thing, but
at the lower resolutions (e.g 640x480-16 colors), it is quite snappy.
There are a few 68040 board that have been shown, with a German company
releasing one first. So far, report of compatibility have been high,
and dozens of software patches have been cobbled together to fix older
wayward programs.
Right now, it is an excellent upgrade path for a knowledgeable user
who doesn't need the horsepower of a TT, but wants a complete overhaul.
In fact, that is what the Falcon really is, an upgrade for all the
aspects of the ST line that people have been asking for. It may not
meet the prices of the clones, or the complete value of a Mac, but it
will run your Atari software, and provide a fast, clean, easy to work
with environment with a minimum of fuss. I know that the Gribnifs have
been selling a Falcon compatible version of the BOrland programming
suite, but I will leave it to others to address that aspect/
All in all, if Atari had simultaneously brought out a 24bit, 68040
based tower with multiple expansion bays, then they would have shown
the user base that they were intent on the continued evolution of their
computers. This would have sold more Flacons as well, as folks decided
they didn't need the big brother model. Now that they have moved back
into video games, there has been talk about their next 040, but there
will be at least a several year wait.
In this time, we at ST Informer Magazine will continue to search for
and report on all of the developments and enhancements available for
ST/TT/Falcon users."
From the Atari ST Arts Forum
============================
Sysop Jim Ness tells us:
"CIS is slowly upgrading every 9600 node to 14400, as the "data
highway" becomes capable of supporting the higher rates.
Unfortunately, it's become almost impossible to keep the GO PHONES
database current. They tend to run a week or two behind.
In most cases, these nodes have had 14400 modems for as long as two
years, but have been inhibited to 9600 because the link back to CIS
could not handle the higher load.
It's always a pleasant surprise to suddenly notice you're moving at
14400, isn't it?"
Mitchell Porras posts:
"I recently downloaded GEMVIEW.LZH and used LHARC.TTP to unpack it. It
leaves me with GEMVIEW.PAX what do I need to use this program? How do i
un PAX it? I appreciate youre advice."
Yat Siu of Lexicor Software tells Mitchell:
"What you need is the GEMview install program, PAX files are only a
part of the emview installation process...
By the way, I uploaded GEMView 3.01 onto this forum , so lookout for
it!"
From the Palmtop Forum
======================
James King asks Atari's Don Thomas about getting another Portfolio:
"My Portfolio was stolen Tuesday evening. It was in my briefcase,
which was stolen at a rental car agency in Burbank. I miss it so badly.
But, before I try to buy a new one, I would like some insight into its
future. It seems to be harder to buy. Is Atari going to continue to
support it? Is there something new in the works, that I should wait
for?
Greg Warnusz chimes in and posts:
"I would like to know [also] what Portfolio users, and especialy
developers, can expect in the near future. A couple of years ago I
registered as a developer, created a product, and sold one before I
got a day job. While my day job seems secure, the market for my
Portfolio-based product is serendipitously warming up, and I want to
market some more. Can I count on availability of Portfolio's, PC Card
Drives, serial interfaces, etc., for a few more years? If not, maybe
you or other readers can suggest palmtops that accept RS-232 serial
interfaces, store files, and allow transfer of those files to a desktop
PC."
Don Thomas tells James and Greg:
"Atari's focus right now is on our new Jaguar 64-bit game system.
While we have not abandoned the Portfolio, the palmtop market has neer
exploded in a way that we thought it might. We have a strong corporate
market for the Portfolio which we are catering to right now.
I doubt any manufacturer can make commitments on products for years to
come. I can tell you that the Portfolio was brought to market in 1989
and I still no of no plans to stop making them available."
Werner Zemanek adds his own thoughts on this matter:
"Atari has opened the Palmtop market with its good old Portfolio. From
point of sales it would be a wise and marketing oriented decision to
come out with a new version that could help to "harvest the fruits" of
this pioneer work. To get an answer to your question: Simply add
together all wise and marketing oriented decisions of this company done
during the last years and you know how many new Portfolios we can
expect. :-( Werner
PS: They still seem to have a large stock of machines - this could
guarantee support until this stock is sold out or Atari
disappears... - whichever comes first."
Janis Kelly tells us:
"Last week I had weird crash on my Port, ad I'm wondering if anyone
has any clues about what happened. I had the thing online to
CompuServe, trying to upload a file to FAX to a hysterical client
(aren't they all?). First it would not pluck the file from the card in
the A: drive. Then it wouldnt respond at all. I shut the whole thing
down and hit reset, but the screen was frozen. Displayed a "Divide by
zero" message and would not respond to any commands. Eventually I
changed the batteries in everything -- Port and card -- but still no
luck. So I took the batteries out of the Port (by the way, had it
plugged in the the adapter when I was on line and this whole thing
started). Still got same message when I started it up again. Today,
three days later, I tried again, and it works fine. So what gives? And
more to the point, is this likely to happen again?"
JF Davington tells Janis:
"After having used the Port fairly heavily for a couple of years I
have come to expect it to do weird crashes once in a while :-| .
However, since I always work out of drive a: these crashes usually have
little or no impact on the data I carry. I've FDISKed c: to its
minimum size as to keep a maximum of memory available for the programs
I use and regurlarly backup my data to the PC. I also have not had a
crash that a cold boot could not fix."
Don Thomas, a good guy even though he works for Atari, tells Janis:
"If you encounter a more serious error than usual (like Divide by
Zero), you should always cold boot your system to flush out the
problem. Leaving the Portfolio idle as you did for a while accomplished
the same as a cold boot, so it worked again."
Well folks, that's about all the room we have for this week. C'mon back
next week to this locality... aw heck that's just TOO darned corny to try
to get away with. Just be sure to tune again next week and be ready to
listen to what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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