ST Report: 30-Jun-95 #1126
From: Bruce D. Nelson (aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 07/26/95-02:12:36 PM Z
From: aa789@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Bruce D. Nelson)
Subject: ST Report: 30-Jun-95 #1126
Date: Wed Jul 26 14:12:36 1995
SILICON TIMES REPORT
====================
INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE
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from
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A subsidiary of
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June 30, 1995 No. 1126
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> 06/30/95 STR 1126 "The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!"
"""""""""""""""""
- CPU INDUSTRY REPORT - ISDN SERIES BEGINS - Apple Email Wares
- GateWay, 3m shipped! - Lion King CD - QuickTime Updated!
- PC Users to Double - Frankie's Corner - Corel v6 32bit!
- CatNIPS! - People Talking - Jaguar NewsBits
-* MICROSOFT DENIES WIN95 DELAY! *-
-* DATA GENERAL NIXES POWERPC CHIP! *-
-* BRITANNICA FREE ON THE WEB! *-
==========================================================================
STReport International OnLine Magazine
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Florida Lotto
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> From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""
Well now let's see, we got the goodies for the grill, ribs steaks and
dogs, the salad fixin's and the keg of Bud, I think we're all set for the
Fourth of July. Why all the party stuff?? That's easy.. Its my oldest
son's birthday and ..mine too! Sooo.. This is a bigger than ordinary
weekend for this household every year. My oldest, Ralph, left this
evening for Daytona Speedway with some of his friends they took the motor
home down for the "Daytona Firecracker 400". I refuse to call it the
"Pepsi 400" as it almost sounds sacrilegious. They'll be back sometime
Saturday night and be well in time for the birthday bash planned for here.
He'll be thirty and I'll be thirty nine. <g> Okay ok, I'll be fifty three.
Gawd, that sounds old. But I feel the way I did the day he was born. In
fact, I feel great! <g>
The Internet is spawning a host of other wonderful advancements in
computing. Among which Super fast telecommunicatons technological
advancements are right around the corner. (Read about it elsewhere in
this issue.) ISDN is fast becoming the "by-word" of FTP, Web and other
CyberSurfers. It is fast, super-reliable and soon to be in a substation
near you.
As always before a holiday, I ask, plead and beg that you appoint a
designated driver if you are going to party about across this long
weekend. I want to keep the readers we have. Besides, a DUI/DWI hit is
mighty expensive. Average for first offense is about $1900.00 with the
fines and all the hidden charges and expenses added in.
Ralph...
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Publisher - Editor
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Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs
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> STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
"""""""""""""""""""
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
------------------------ ----------
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Issue #26
Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr.
******* General Computer News *******
>> Microsoft Denies Win95 Delay <<
Microsoft Corp. yesterday denied rumors it is delaying its August
release of the Windows 95 operating system. Earlier, investors, panicked
over such reports, caused the Dow Jones Industrial Average to fall
15 points in a matter of minutes.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Don Clark
says yesterday's market consternation began after a wire service
reported Microsoft company had delayed its Win95 code to PC makers,
"suggesting the companies might not be able to release their new
machines by the scheduled launch date of Aug. 24."
Then, says the paper, "PC Week magazine, in a report distributed
over the Internet, also quoted unidentified PC makers as saying
delivery of the code to manufacturers had been pushed back to the end
of the month from July 7."
Clark says Microsoft insisted there hasn't been any delay, though
it declined to disclose the dates it plans to ship the completed code.
Microsoft Vice President Brad Silverberg told the paper, "We
haven't told PC makers anything different in a month. They will have
the code in plenty of time to make Aug. 24."
Clark says the company's remarks "seemed to reassure investors."
On the strength of that (and on news of an auto-related trade accord
with Japan), the Dow Jones Industrials rebounded to advance 14.18 points,
closing at 4556.79. (Microsoft's shares, which had been off more than
three points, closed at $87.875, up $1.)
"Wall Street's hair-trigger reaction," says the paper, "dramatizes
the high stakes surrounding Windows 95, which is crucial to the fall
selling seasons for PCs, hardware accessories and other software that
are tailored to run on the long-awaited system."
Curiously, Microsoft also is grappling with rumors some PC makers
will get their machines on retailers' shelves before Aug. 24, giving
them a head start over rivals.
"The company had talked about ensuring an even start by
distributing the code in a scrambled fashion that would be
electronically unlocked by all manufacturers simultaneously, but it
later dismissed that idea as unworkable," Clark writes.
Silverberg said he is barred from scooping the release date by
terms of their license contracts with Microsoft, but other executives
think the rules are subject to varying interpretations.
"To be honest," Silverberg said, "we are more concerned about
having them jump the gun" than be late.
>> Lion King CD-ROM Planned <<
Disney Interactive and 7th Level Inc. have announced a partnership to
develop a CD-ROM game title based on Disney's popular Lion King
characters -- Pumbaa and Timon -- for release this Christmas season.
Disney artists and producers will work with artists, programmers and
game designers from 7th Level to create the game. Disney will market and
distribute the title, which is scheduled for release in the U.S. in
November and elsewhere next spring.
The Pumbaa and Timon software, Disney's first game title for Windows
CD-ROM, will feature arcade-style game-play designed for home computer
users ages 8 and older. No price has been announced.
>> Apple Acquires E-Mail Software <<
Apple Computer Inc. says it has acquired MailShare, a Macintosh
electronic mail server software package designed for managing messages
on the Internet.
The company says it has renamed the product Apple Internet Mail
Server and will continue to make the software available as freeware. The
product can be downloaded from the World Wide Web at
http://abs.apple.com/products/m ailserver.html.
The software, acquired from developer Glenn Anderson, supports the
Simple Mail Transport Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol version 3
(POP3), two mainstream standards for Internet e-mail. The product allows
users to send and receive e-mail over the Internet from any personal
computer that supports the SMTP and POP3 standards.
Apple also notes that software developer Anderson will join Apple as
a software engineer.
As is the nature of freeware software, Apple doesn't plan to provide
support for the freeware version. Over time, Apple intends to
commercialize the Apple Internet Mail Server by further enhancing the
product's features and providing technical support.
>> IBM to Bring Music Online <<
IBM says it will make EMI Music Publishing's large library of
recorded music available through an online digital database.
The deal with EMI will allow film, TV and advertisement makers who
want to buy the rights to a piece of music to select from EMI's library
of 300 hours of specially written themes or commercial music.
Officials in London said the arrangement allows licenses to be bought
and music to be downloaded directly by computer.
EMI's commercial music division KPM hopes to offer its entire music
catalog, including material from performers such as the Rolling Stones
and the Beatles.
>> Lotus Has Back-to-School Promo <<
Lotus Development Corp. has unveiled its Back-To-School promotion, an
annual event that's designed to make the software publisher's products
more affordable to students and academic professionals.
Lotus SmartSuite and a special bundle of Lotus Word Pro and Lotus 1-
2-3 are now available for $149 and $99, respectively, to students,
educational institutions, faculty and staff. The program will run from
July 1, through Oct. 31.
>> Apple Updates Windows QuickTime <<
Apple Computer Inc. has announced a new version of QuickTime for
Windows, the software that brings multimedia capabilities to PCs and
consumer electronics devices.
The company notes that QuickTime 2.1 for Windows will take advantage
of the latest 32-bit operating systems, including Windows NT and the
upcoming Windows 95.
QuickTime 2.1 for Windows is scheduled to become available this fall.
Developers will be able to license the software free of charge for
redistribution with their applications, CD-ROM titles and media clip
libraries. Home and business users will be able to acquire the software
for $9.95.
>> Data General Nixes PowerPC Chip <<
In what is seen as a "mild blow" to the PowerPC chip coalition,
computer maker Data General Corp. has decided to switch from the
Motorola-IBM- Apple chip to Intel microprocessors for its next
computers.
While Data General, which makes midrange servers used to run
databases and corporate networks, isn't a big chip buyer, as a longtime
Motorola customer, it was considered one of the most likely candidates
to join the PowerPC ranks.
>> Dell Completes Pentium Switch <<
Dell Computer Corp. says it has completely transitioned its computers
to Intel's Pentium microprocessor.
The computer maker notes that its entry-level Dell Dimension desktop
PC series now offers Intel's most powerful CPU while remaining within
the price band formerly occupied by 486-based Dimension models. System
prices for the 60MHz Dimension P60 start at $1,299.
Dell also states that its Dimension PCs will now be shipped with 8MB
RAM and 64-bit PCI local bus video as standard features.
"Our build-to-order business model has enabled us to avoid the parts
shortages and inventory excesses affecting other manufacturers and lead
the transition to the Intel Pentium processor," says Doug MacGregor,
vice president of the Dimension series.
>> Sticky Disk Envelopes Debut <<
I & I Specialties Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida, has introduced new
floppy disk-size self-adhesive envelopes. The envelopes' adhesive back
and resealable flap are designed to give disks a place to live inside file
folders, book covers, manuals or binders. Boot or configuration diskettes
can be placed in the envelopes on the particular PCs to which they
pertain. When fulfilling literature requests, the envelopes are designed
to keep demo disks in a predictable place. When overprinted, the envelopes
can take on special meanings in applications ranging from security to
disaster recovery, or birthday or holiday greetings. The Stick-A-Disk
pockets are available in packages of ten for $3.49.
>> Britannica Free On The Web <<
As part of an agreement with Time Warner Inc., an online version of
the Encyclopaedia Britannica will be available on the Internet's World
Wide Web for free for 60 days.
Reports say Britannica will be available on Time Warner's Pathfinder
World Wide Web site (http://www.pathfinder.com) with encyclopedia
articles linked to more up-to-date information in Time publications.
The firms said they will integrate and co-market their online
information services, adding that while colleges and universities have
had access to Britannica Online since the fall, this is the first time
independent consumers have had access.
Britannica now publishes its information in several forms, including
on the Internet, CD-ROM, and its 32-volume printed set.
Britannica Online was named the 1994 product of the year by Database
Magazine.
Time Warner's Pathfinder site is free, but users are asked to
register as members. Following the 60-day trial period, Britannica
Online will be offered as a subscription service over Pathfinder.
>> Survey Tracks Web Usage Upward <<
A new survey says the number of households accessing the Internet's
World Wide Web from home rose by 50% in May compared with April,
breaking the 2 million mark.
The research by the NPD Group finds many of these consumers are
logging onto the Web via commercial online services, where subscriptions
are up too.
The report indicates that as of April, 5.1% of the nation's house-
holds -- or 5 million households -- were online, an increase of 11% over
the previous quarter, when the survey reported 4.5 million subscribers.
And says the researchers, the survey suggests the 5 million current
online subscribers represent only about a third of modem owners. Some
1.3 million households plan to join one of the commercial online
services in the next six months, the survey indicates.
But NPD Vice President Steve Coffey, who compiled the study, cautions
against overstating future growth, saying new member acquisition will
likely be offset by turnover among existing members, or "churn," a long-
standing issue among the services.
Coffey said the April survey indicates more than 7 million households
have, at one time or another, been members of a commercial online
service, but only 5 million are current subscribers, adding, "Member
turnover is an economic reality facing the networks and the marketers
who use them. The online marketplace would look much different were it
not for churn."
Other findings from the April survey:
-:- 33.2% of the nation's homes (32.3 million U.S. households)
reported owning a PC, up 1.3% since January, an annualized growth rate
of 5.2%. (Since PC ownership traditionally has risen faster in the
fourth quarter, with many households acquiring PCs at Christmas, Coffey
believes that growth will be higher still.)
-:- More than 10 million households, current PC owners and non-owners
combined, plan to purchase a new PC or upgrade a current model during
the next six months.
>> PC Market May Double by 1999 <<
Dataquest Inc. forecasts that 100 million PCs will be shipped world-
wide in the year 1999, up from 48 million in 1994.
The market researcher adds that the booming PC market, which grossed
$95 billion for PC makers last year, will reach an unprecedented $185
billion in 1999.
"Such phenomenal growth in the worldwide PC market will affect every
product in the PC food chain, from semiconductors to software and
services," says Philippe de Marcillac, vice president and chief analyst
at Dataquest. "All regions will experience strong unit growth brought
about by lower prices, continued demand for Windows and its follow-on
versions, demand from the home market, demand from emerging markets and
small businesses, and the necessity to communicate globally."
PC revenue is predicted to approach $116 billion this year and have a
compound annual growth rate of 14% over the next five years, says
Dataquest.
_______________________________________________
> ISDN INFO STR FOCUS! TOMORROWS' COMMUNICATIONS - TODAY!
""""""""""""""""""""
Chapter One
-----------
ISDN - WHAT IS IT?
==================
Preface;
--------
by R. F. Mariano
Before we get started, there's a few points that need to addressed.
The first being ISDN is NEW thus, not available everywhere ..yet. Rest
assured, this is the coming thing for every business, small or large,
SOHO, and private home. Its the Rolls Royce of service at very affordable
prices. Sure the initial outlay of the required hardware may seem steep,
but then if its compared to the cost of a high quality, noise limiting
v.34 modem, its suddenly very affordable and quite versatile with
available speed up to 128bps.
I made a few preliminary inquiries this past week and the results
were anywhere from "typically expected" to completely knowledgeable,
helpful and professional. First let's look at the typically expected... I
called a local Internet Provider and found out some very interesting
things.. It would appear that some of these folks want very much to keep
you "in the dark as much as possible". The person I spoke to "assumed" I
wanted a direct connect full time accessible ISDN access account. I
listened to the spiel and when he got to the $1000.00 per month fee I
politely asked why there was such a difference between his quotes and
those of firms on the west coast (California) and other areas like
Chicago. He quickly, it almost sounded gleeful, informed me I was looking
for hourly dial-up ISDN service. He immediately added it was not
available in my city. He then went on to tell all about how Southern
California was so far ahead of the rest of the country that it would take
at least five years for our area to get to where they are now. I then
asked about northern Ca and Seattle Wa. He confidently said they were
same boat we are. He explained there was no T3 Network backbone in
Jacksonville and that to bring one in would cost in the neighborhood of
one hundred thousand dollars. I concluded that further conversation with
this fellow quickly became unnecessary. The conclusion to be drawn here
is to SHOP AROUND check and double check everything you are told. Since
this ISDN thing is in the "basement", not yet on the ground floor, there
are certain "entrepreneurs" that'll take you for the full "ride" if you
allow it. Caveat Emptor is the key phrase here. I might add that your
local Bell office is also a great source of honest but in some cases,
limited information.
I then called Southern Bell's ISDN Rep again and informer her of what
had just occurred. She told me she had a list of providers who would be
glad to provide exactly the type of service I was looking for.
What Is ISDN?
-------------
ISDN, or Integrated Services Digital Network, is a new way of
transmitting telephone traffic. Your telephone company "converts" a
central office switch to ISDN by installing new equipment and programming.
ISDN's digital technology allows the provision of three communication
paths, called channels, over the same copper wire arrangement that
provides traditional telephone service. ISDN Individual Line is provided
through the ISDN Basic Rate Interface, also known as 2B+D. This
arrangement provides two "B", or bearer, channels and one "D", or delta,
channel. Each of the "B" channels can carry voice, circuit switched data
at up to 64 kilobits per second, or packet switched data at up to 64
kilobits per second. The "D" channel carries signaling information between
the central office and the subscriber's ISDN equipment and may also be
used to carry packet switched data at up to 16 kilobits per second. For
comparison, today's most commonly used modems operate at speeds of 2.4,
4.8 and 9.6 kilobits per second.
ISDN was designed to work smoothly with traditional telephone
service, so that customers who subscribe to ISDN services can make
voice-calls to, and receive voice-calls from, customers who subscribe to
traditional telephone service.
Some major benefits of ISDN include its ability to provide:
up to 2 simultaneous voice conversations over one physical line
voice, circuit-switched data and packet data services
flexibility in arrangements between services, telephone numbers
and telephone sets
new applications to the home and office
noise-free operation over existing lines
This article attempts to explain ISDN and its benefits for the
typical homeowner, apartment dweller or small business. After reading it,
you should understand how ISDN can meet your communication needs and
understand some basic ISDN terms. This introduction also describes the
decisions and arrangements you must make before ordering ISDN services,
and how to start up ISDN sets after you've plugged them in.
What is unique about ISDN?
--------------------------
Wiring ISDN usually requires new wiring and new phone sets in the
home or small business. Signaling Your central office knows that you wish
to make, take or interrupt a call when it receives special signals that
result from picking up a handset, dialing, or depressing buttons on your
set. Before ISDN, you frequently had to interrupt or terminate your
conversation to signal the switch. ISDN lets you to talk and signal at the
same time.
Multiple Simultaneous Conversations The Pre-ISDN network only permits
one telephone call over your line at one time. Basic Rate ISDN's 2B + D
architecture, allows at least 3 simultaneous "conversations" over a
standard phone line. ISDN has two B channels for voice, circuit or packet
conversations, and one D channel to carry signals between your set and
your central office. In addition to carrying signal data, the D channel
can also carry low-speed (i.e., up to 9.6 kbps) packet data calls.
Data Capacity Before ISDN, normal phone lines could reliably carry
only 2.4 kilobits per second (bps), or one third of the text in a
single-spaced one page document. ISDN carries 144 kbps of information over
the same line, enough to transmit a 22 page document every second. Each B
channel carries 64 kbps, for a subtotal of 128 kbps. The D channel carries
another 16 kbps, bringing the total to 144.
Analog vs. Digital Transmission When you call a friend, pre-ISDN
telephone sets convert the sound waves of your voice to analog electrical
waves (analog transmission); ISDN sets convert your voice into voltages
representing a string of 0's and 1's (digital transmission), like those on
a compact disc recording. In both cases, these converted electrical
signals are sent over the telephone network to your friend's set, where
the earpiece converts them back into the sound of your voice. However, as
an analog transmission travels through the telephone network, it can pick
up analog noise from power lines, moisture in telephone cables, lightning,
or crosstalk from other lines. These analog noise sources cannot usually
contaminate ISDN transmission, which makes ISDN sound quality and
transmission reliability far better than traditional voice service.
User-Friendly Feature Use
-------------------------
Depending on the individual ISDN set you purchase and local service
availability, ISDN permits you to activate features (e.g., call
forwarding) by pressing a button or by dialing the traditional two-digit
access codes. For each ISDN set you have, if you have ordered optional
features, your telephone company will provide a template showing which set
button controls the features you've ordered.
Flexible Set/Number Arrangements The pre-ISDN telephone network had
many limitations in the arrangements of service, sets, and telephone
numbers. For example, each line could have only one telephone number and
calls could not be directed to individual sets in the home. ISDN removes
these and other limitations. When you add these features to ISDN's
multiple-call capabilities and data capabilities, many new applications
are possible.
Power
-----
Traditional telephone sets receive electrical power over the copper
wires that link your home to the local central office. When there's a
power failure in your neighborhood, traditional telephone service is not
interrupted because backup generators in the central office send power to
your set over your phone line. ISDN phones require more power than your
phone line can carry, so ISDN sets must be powered from electrical outlets
in your home. When there's a power failure in your neighborhood, ISDN sets
must obtain power from internal backup batteries or some other source in
order to function.
What can I do with ISDN?
------------------------
ISDN's technical features can be combined to create hundreds of
applications that can't be performed over a single phone line today. This
section describes just a few of them. The ability of ISDN to carry
multiple voice or data conversations at the same time over one line makes
these applications possible.
Point of Sale ISDN allows the small business to rapidly authorize
credit card purchases while answering calls from other customers. A
typical point- of-sale arrangement connects the merchant's ISDN voice set
and "card- swipe" machine to a single ISDN line. When the "card-swipe"
machine reads a credit card number and the purchase amount, ISDN accesses
the packet data network containing the computer that stores credit card
balances. This computer verifies that the buyer has sufficient credit for
the purchase, and sends an "OK" back through the packet network to the
merchant's card swipe (ISDN) terminal. With ISDN, the entire verification
usually takes 5-6 seconds, compared to about 20 seconds over an analog
phone line.
Two Simultaneous Calls on 1 Line In many homes and small businesses,
one person can make/take so many calls that others in the home or office
have long waits to use the phone. Consequently, families who want to avoid
missing calls when a talkative teenager is on the phone must buy an
additional "teenage" phone line to meet that need. ISDN's multi-channel
structure allows flexibility of additional telephone numbers and
appearances, all over a single ISDN line.
Video Phone This application takes advantage of the data capacity of
ISDN and the technology in video phone sets to let you see, and be seen
by, the person you're talking to. Special ISDN sets are required for this
service.
Distance Learning This application is fairly similar to video phone.
A course instructor buys ISDN equipment that will broadcast a classroom
image on one channel and his/her voice on the other. Students in the
course just need equipment that will display classroom pictures on one
channel and the instructor's voice on the other.
Screen Sharing Business associates in two distant locations often
need to look at the same object while discussing it. The "object" is
anything that can be displayed on a computer screen - a business letter, a
product diagram, or a spreadsheet. Some vendors offer screen-sharing
applications that allow people to both see and edit the information on
each other's computer screen.
Videoconferencing Videoconferencing allows two or more people to hold
a business meeting in which all parties can speak with each other, view
each other and share the contents of their computer screens. Each meeting
participant needs a single ISDN line and videoconferencing equipment.
Videoconferencing can be considered a combination of video phone and
screen sharing in which more than two parties participate.
Work-at-Home
------------
In some areas, new anti-pollution laws require large companies to
reduce the number of days workers must drive to the office. Many companies
either supply or plan to supply employees with PCs that enable them to
work at home. Before ISDN, an employee who was working at home had to buy
a second line to send data between their PC and the company's main
computer. ISDN eliminates the need for that second line. Employees can use
one channel for normal calls and a second channel to connect their PC to
the company computer. (ISDN-compatible access will need to be provided by
the Employer) The manufacturers for most of the ISDN central office
equipment used in the United States deliver new ISDN features every year.
In many cases, they will deliver most features in the same time frame.
However, one manufacturer may deliver a few features ahead of the others.
Just as with pre-ISDN services, availability of ISDN services may vary
somewhat from one Central Office area to another.
Arranging Your ISDN Service
---------------------------
There are a number of decisions you need to answer before ordering
ISDN service from your local telephone company. The following briefly
discusses those decisions - in the order that you should make them - to
simplify your ordering process. Is ISDN available at my location? Your
local telephone company can tell you whether ISDN is offered in your
neighborhood and what the monthly charge will be. Prior to the purchase of
any ISDN equipment you should verify with your local ISDN representative
that ISDN can be provided to your location -- and investigate the cost for
the service. If your local central office is not scheduled to have ISDN
for a while, it may be possible to obtain ISDN service from a nearby
switch, called foreign central office (FCO) or foreign exchange (FX) in
the meantime. If you are considering ISDN via FCO or FX, there is an
additional charge for this service. In some cases, the nearest ISDN
service may be in an FX office that is outside your local calling area.
Before subscribing to FX ISDN access, please make sure your service
provider advises you whether or not your local versus long-distance
calling area will be affected by the foreign exchange ISDN line.
What Do I Want ISDN To Do For Me?
Deciding which ISDN application you want will simplify your other
decisions. Even if all you want now is just the ability to have two (2)
simultaneous calls over one (1) line, and investigate other applications
later, that decision will simplify the others you need to make.
What will my ISDN service cost?
Your local telephone company can tell you what ISDN service will cost
in your area.
Will ISDN Be My Only Phone Line?
An ISDN line can serve as the only phone line to your home and
business - if you have a backup power supply (e.g., batteries in the set)
to power your set and the NT1 in the event of a power failure. As
mentioned earlier, standard phone sets receive power from central office
generators over your phone line - and that's why they work during local
power failures. ISDN sets won't work in power failures unless you have
some type of backup power source. Based on what ISDN terminal equipment
you select, you may want to keep your existing analog line and add ISDN
for specific purposes that cannot be accommodated by your present line
(e.g., higher data speeds, etc.)
What Set Should I Buy?
If you plan to use ISDN for a specialized application like point-of-
sale, videoconferencing or work-at-home, you will need an ISDN set
designed for that application. Your local sales representative for your
telephone company can provide you a list of vendors of ISDN terminal
equipment that have identified themselves to-date. After you have talked
with several vendors and manufactures concerning the choices available to
support your application, compare your options like you compare regular or
cellular phones - on price, convenience, durability and features.
The Most Critical Technical Question:
-------------------------------------
"Will this set work properly with all ISDN switches?"
If the answer is "no," this set may only work with the central office
switch that serves your area. If you move, or later give the phone to a
relative when you upgrade, the phone may not work in its new area.
Standard Voice Sets or other 'analog' equipment Since ISDN access is
not available in all areas at present, if you are not keeping an analog
line, you may want to investigate ISDN terminal equipment that allow you
to continue to use your existing (analog) equipment (e.g., standard voice
sets, modems, etc.). This will insure that you will still have access to
all data-destinations that you currently call today even if they are not
able to access an ISDN data-call. Analog devices require an ISDN terminal
adapter to convert the analog signaling commands the device makes into the
signaling commands your ISDN switch understands. You will need to ask
your ISDN terminal vendor what equipment they have that can support your
existing (analog) equipment.
PC Terminal Adapters If you plan to use your ISDN to connect your PC
to a large computer, a local area network (LAN), or an on-line database
service like Prodigy, you can connect your line to an ISDN card installed
in the PC, an ISDN terminal adapter built into the PC (if available) AN
EXTERNAL ISDN TERMINAL ADAPTER CONNECTED TO YOUR PC
Will I Need To Wire My Home/Shop for ISDN?
Just as you had to wire your home to get cable TV or wire your car to get
cellular phone service, you may have to change, or add to, the wiring
inside your home for ISDN.
Completing the Order for ISDN From Your Phone Company Once you've decided
on your application, your set and your wiring, you can complete your order
for ISDN service from your local phone company.
Obtaining SPIDs ISDN central offices require each ISDN set to have a
unique identification number, called a Service Profile Identifier (SPID),
before the switch will let you make or take calls from that set. When you
order your service, the telephone company will give you a SPID for each
ISDN set you plan to connect. The instruction manual provided by the
manufacturer of your set should describe how to enter the SPID. You should
carefully file or store your SPID number where you can refer to it in
cases of an ISDN trouble. The SPID will be helpful to telephone repair
personnel on those infrequent occasions when you have an ISDN service
problem.
Initializing ISDN Sets
----------------------
The Basic Steps After your local telephone company puts your line in
service, you'll need to plug in your ISDN equipment and initialize it.
All ISDN sets, PCs, fax machines, etc., must have unique SPIDs and must be
initialized. Consult the instruction manual for your equipment on how to
enter SPIDs and then initialize the equipment. If this information is not
in the manual, call the technical support number provided by the
manufacturer of your ISDN device.
A Final Word
------------
Like the personal computer, ISDN gives you new and improved
capabilities at an attractive price. And like personal computers, it
requires a little thought and research before you buy the set and order
the services that will meet your needs. However, if you consider the
issues raised in this pamphlet, your first experience with ISDN can be a
more pleasant and productive one.
Some Basic ISDN Terms
---------------------
Channel:
A channel is a communication path that can carry a voice or data
conversation. ISDN Individual Line has multiple channels [a maximum of two
(2) "B"s and one (1) "D".]
B Channel:
This is an ISDN communication channel that bears or carries voice, circuit
or packet conversations
D Channel:
This is an ISDN communication channel used for sending information between
the ISDN equipment and the ISDN central office switch. This channel can
also carry "user" packet data at rates up to 9.6 Kilo-bits.
Call type:
ISDN supports three types of calls: circuit switched voice, circuit
switched data and packet switched data.
Circuit Switched Data:
A conversation between two devices (usually computers) where the devices
have total use of the channel connecting them.
B or D Packet mode data:
In this type of conversation between two devices (usually computers), each
device's "dialogue" is broken into small chunks called packets before
being sent to the receiver. Unlike voice and circuit switched data calls,
one communication channel can carry several packet conversations at the
same time.
SPID:
The ISDN switch needs to have a unique identification number for each ISDN
set to which it sends calls and signals. This ID is called a Service
Profile Identifier or SPID.
NT1:
The NT1 (network termination 1) is a device (installed with your ISDN
wiring) that marks the border between your phone line from the telephone
company and the ISDN wiring inside your home. Your ISDN service will not
work if the NT1's plug is not connected to a working electrical outlet.
ISDN - Individual Line Service
------------------------------
Southern Bell
Data Customer Support Center
1950 West Exchange Place
Suite 500
Tucker, GA 30084
To place an order: 800-858-9413
404-496-2700
For technical support:800-256-6923
404-496-2901
Equipment Manufacturers
-----------------------
The manufacturers listed below offer ISDN equipment with
specifications that respond to a broad range of ISDN applications. It is
not a complete list, however. New products are continuously introduced,
and equipment from companies not listed here may work equally well. This
information has been compiled from a range of sources, including Solutions
'94, the North American ISDN User's Forum catalog of ISDN applications and
solutions.
Many but not all products from these manufacturers have been tested
in various Bell Market Applications Labs to ascertain that they work
satisfactorily with the applications listed. This list does not imply an
endorsement of these products, although as part of our joint-marketing
program, many can be leased or purchased through certain Bell facilities.
Manufacturers' telephone numbers are correct to the best of our
knowledge. For more information, contact your Bell Service Account team.
Other non-ISDN equipment and software is also needed, of course, to
implement the applications shown in the following pages. This includes
PCs, workstations, computers and file servers, LANs and LAN-access
hardware, video and/or sound equipment and the like. Manufacturers of
these products are not listed here.
A full range of equipment and lines, as well as installation and
applications assistance is also offered by many Pacific Bell-authorized
sales agents, as well as Value-Added Resellers authorized by both Pacific
Bell, manufacturers and others.
NT1s and Power Supplies
-----------------------
An NT1 and a power supply are required for every ISDN line. Although
these devices are sometimes built into other ISDN products, especially
telephones, the following vendors make standalone systems.
Adtran, 800-788-5408, 415-697-2848, 205-971-8000
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Siemens Stromberg-Carlson, 407-995-3037
Tone Commander Systems, 800-524-0024
Terminal Adapters
-----------------
ISDN applications require a terminal adapter, although this function
may also be built in to other equipment. The companies below make terminal
adapters that support both voice and data calls for modem replacement,
remote access to a LAN, telecommuting , BBS access, groupware, large file
transfers, etc. Some units include an integrated ISDN phone, others
include a jack to plug an ordinary analog telephone (or fax, or modem, or
answering machine) into them.
Adtran, 800-788-5408, 415-697-2848, 205-971-8000
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Controlware Communications Systems, Inc., 908-919-0400
Fujitsu ISDN Division, 800-228-ISDN (4736)
Gandalf Systems Corp., 609-424-9400
Hayes Microcomputer Prods., Inc., 415-974-5544, 404-441-1617
Integral Communications, Inc., 800-ICI-8234
ISCOM, Inc., 301-779-1368
Motorola UDS, 510-734-8820, 714-285-0824, 205-430-8902
Newbridge Networks Inc., 201-818-2766
Northern Telecom Inc., 800-992-2303, 919-255-8946
Racal-Datacom, Inc., 305-846-6762
TelePower, 818-587-5540
XAN Communications, Inc., 315-787-8183
Personal Computer Cards
-----------------------
These cards most often install in the personal computer or
workstation and adapt it for communications with the ISDN network.
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Connective Strategies, Inc., 703-802-0023
CoSystems, Inc., 408-748-2190
DGM&S, Inc., 609-866-1212
Digiboard, 800-344-4273
Eicon Technology Corp., 514-631-2592
EuRoNis, +33-142334098, Paris
Extension Technology Corp., 415-390-8130, 508-872-7748
Fujitsu ISDN Division, 800-228-ISDN (4736)
Hayes Microcomputer Prods., Inc., 415-974-5544, 404-441-1617
Hewlett-Packard, 800-637-7740
IBM Corp., 800-IBM-CALL, 919-254-0434, 507-253-7294
ISCOM, Inc., 301-779-1368
ISDN Systems Corp., 703-883-0933
Link Technology, Inc. 215-357-3354
Mitel Corp., 613-592-2122
Motorola UDS, 510-734-8820, 714-285-0824, 205-430-8902
MPR Teltech Ltd., 604-293-6047
NCR Network Products Division 612-638-7685, 612-638-7828
OST, Inc., 403-817-0400 rSilicon Graphics, 415-390-2522
Sun Microsystems Computer Corp., 415-336-4433
ISDN Telephones
---------------
These phones link directly to ISDN. Many have the required NT1 and
power supply built it, and some even incorporate jacks to accommodate
faxes, answering machines and other devices.
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Cartelco, Inc. 901-365-7774
Fujitsu ISDN Division, 800-228-ISDN (4736)
Lodestar Technology, Inc., 800-378-6316
Motorola UDS, 510-734-8820, 714-285-0824, 205-430-8902
Northern Telecom Inc., 800-992-2303, 919-255-8946
Siemens Stromberg-Carlson, 407-955-3037
Telrad Communications, 516-921-8300
ISDN LAN Bridges
----------------
Products from these manufacturers let PCs connect from a remote location
to a LAN or host computer, but do not include a voice capability. Most of
the voice/data terminal adapters listed above will also provide dial-up
access to a LAN or host.
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Combinet, Inc. 408-522-9020
Develcon Electronics Limited, 306-933-3300
Digiboard, 800-344-4273
Gandalf Systems Corp., 609-424-9400
ISCOM, Inc., 301-779-1368
Communications Servers, Routers, Bridges
----------------------------------------
LAN-to-LAN connectivity equipment to link one LAN to another, with
dialed connections over ISDN made on demand.
Advanced Computer Communications, 408-864-0600
Ascend Communications, Inc., 510-769-6001
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Cisco Systems, Inc., 415-326-1981
Connective Strategies, Inc., 703-802-0023
Digiboard, 800-344-4273
Engage Communications, Inc., 408-688-1021
Gandalf Systems Corp., 609-424-9400
Hewlett-Packard, 800-637-7740
IBM Corp., 800-IBM-CALL, 919-254-0434, 507-253-7294
International Transware, Inc. 800-999-6387
ISDN Systems Corp., 703-883-0933
MPR Teltech Ltd., 604-293-6047
NCR Network Products Division 612-638-7685, 612-638-7828
NEC (Dr. Bond), 800-222-4NEC
Network Express, 800-553-4333
OST, Inc., 403-817-0400
Racal-Datacom, Inc., 305-846-6762
Rockwell Network Systems, 800-262-8023
Inverse Multiplexers, Multiplexers and Communications Servers
-------------------------------------------------------------
Equipment to connect one LAN to another, with dialed connections over
ISDN on demand. Also automatic back-up equipment which dials one or more
ISDN lines to handle emergency outages or data overflow on a private-line
network.
Ascend Communications, Inc., 510-769-6001
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
Controlware Communications Systems, Inc., 908-919-0400
Newbridge Networks Inc., 201-818-2766
Primary Rate Inc., 800-950-ISDN
Promptus Communications, Inc., 401-683-6100
TyLink Corp., 508-285-0033
Video Conferencing and Videophones
----------------------------------
The following companies make videoconferencing codecs, room and
desktop video sets, as well as other specialized equipment for video
transmission.
AT&T Distributor: Volt, 800-566-8658
BT Visual Images, 800-778-6288
Compression Labs, Inc., 408-428-6759
Hitachi America, 404-242-1410
Intel Corporation, 800-538-3373
ISCOM, Inc., 301-779-1368
Northern Telecom Inc., 800-992-2303, 919-255-8946
PictureTel, 800-742-8351
Vitel, 800-856-8835
_______________________________________
> FRANKIE'S CORNER STR Feature
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
THE KIDS' COMPUTING CORNER
==========================
Hometime Weekend Home Projects
------------------------------
CD-ROM for Windows 3.1
approximate retail $40
from IVI Publishing
7500 Flying Cloud Drive
Minneapolis, MN 55344-3739
1-800-754-1484
Program Requirements
--------------------
CPU: 486SX-25
RAM: 8 megs
Video: SVGA
Hdisk: 1.2 megs
CD-ROM: Double-speed
OS: Windows 3.1
Misc: sound card, mouse
by Frank Sereno
"Hometime Weekend Home Projects" is intended to help the home weekend
warrior to improve his living environment. This multimedia educational
program mixes QuickTime videos culled from the Hometime television show
with instructional text and a calculator which helps the user create an
accurate shopping list for his next project.
"Weekend Home Projects" has a very friendly and intuitive interface.
Simply use the mouse to start a video on the subject of your choice. The
user can then choose to watch more videos, read related text, calculate
project supplies and equipment or move to a new subject by clicking on the
corresponding icon. The video can be advanced, paused or reversed by
clicking on icons resembling the controls of a VCR. The program also
includes a help video featuring Hometime host Dean Johnson in which he
explains all the different aspects of the interface.
Twelve project categories are covered in "Weekend Home Projects." These
are ceramic tile, plumbing, framing, power tools, windows and doors,
wiring, cabinets, wallpaper, flooring, painting and staining, drywall and
decks. A lot of suitable topics weren't covered such as roofing,
insulation, pouring concrete walks or driveway, etc. Perhaps these will
be covered in an additional title.
The main flaw in this program is that on some topics it simply doesn't
provide enough information for a beginning rehabber to accomplish that
task. The videos are really too short to convey all the information
needed. The user must rely heavily on the text portion of the program.
That text can be printed out but it will not include the illustrations
which are shown on the computer. This is a terrible omission considering
the advent of laser and ink-jet printers which can print the illustrations
very competently. I doubt many people want to drag their desktop
computers or an expensive laptop to a project site to view the
illustrations which can be very critical if someone is doing wiring work.
The calculator could use improvement as well. It only accepts
measurements in inches and has a limit of 999 for an input measurement.
If you are doing a large project, such as painting the exterior of your
home, you will have to do several calculations to get the proper shopping
list. The list of needed tools provided by the calculator is quite
excellent.
Overall, this is a nice program with an excellent interface. In my
opinion, the program lacks enough information on several projects for
beginning rehabbers, but it is excellent for the moderately-experienced
handyman (or handywowan). "Weekend Home Projects" is easy to use and it
is very entertaining.
__________________________________________
> STR Mail Call "...a place for our readers to be heard"
"""""""""""""
STReport's MAILBAG
""""""""""""""""""
Messages * NOT EDITED * for content
-----------------------------------
A voice from the past brings some very fond memories back...
#5 19-JUN-1995 16:23:52.88
MAIL
From: IN%"john_townsend@taligent.com" "John Townsend"
To: IN%"RMARIANO@delphi.com" "Ralph Mariano"
CC:
Subj: Howdy!
Return-path: <john_townsend@taligent.com>
Received: from mailserv.taligent.com by delphi.com (PMDF V4.3-9 #10880)
id <01HRWADHVD28988U5K@delphi.com>; Mon, 19 Jun 1995 16:23:49 -0400 (EDT)
Received: from qm.taligent.com by mailserv.taligent.com (AIX 3.2/UCB
5.64/4.03)
id AA26545; Mon, 19 Jun 1995 13:23:43 -0700
Date: Mon, 19 Jun 1995 13:23:09 -0800
From: John Townsend <john_townsend@taligent.com>
Subject: Howdy!
To: Ralph Mariano <RMARIANO@delphi.com>
Message-id: <n1408554297.84381@taligent.com>
X-Mailer: Mail*Link SMTP-QM 3.0.2
Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT
Hi Ralph!
Just wanted to drop you a line and congratulate you on the move to the web
with the new STReport site. It looks great and its really nice to be able
to get even easier access to the magazine through the web!
I hope everything is going well for you and the rest of your team. Say
hello to everyone for me.
-- John Townsend
John!!
Happy Fourth to you and Ken! (Give my regards to Ken.) Good to hear
from you again. Everytime I do hear from you brings back fond memories of
the "old days". Gotta admit we all had fun.
I put this note in the issue because its the fastest and best way to
convey your "hello" to everyone. Almost all the old timers will see it.
The STR Team is doing dandy. I wish you the very best and please, do stay
in touch.
Ralph...
Ps; Now, all we need is for Dave Small to pop in for a quick hello. Hey
Dave!! How you and da family iz??
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N
FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent
to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY
600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed
Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's Fargo Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior
to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as
much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this
sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please,
allow at least a one week turn-around)
A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
___ ___ _____ _______
/___| /___| /_____| /_______/
/____|/____| /__/|__| /__/
/_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/
/__/|____/|__|________|__/
/__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____
/__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/
________________________________________
/_______________________________________/
MAC/APPLE SECTION (II)
======================
John Deegan, Editor (Temp)
> APPLE Email STR InfoFile
""""""""""""""""""""""""
Apple Acquires E-Mail Software
==============================
Apple Computer Inc. says it has acquired MailShare, a Macintosh
electronic mail server software package designed for managing messages
on the Internet.
The Cupertino, California- based company says it has renamed the
product Apple Internet Mail Server and will continue to make the software
available as freeware. The product can be downloaded from the World Wide
Web at http://abs.apple.com/products/m ailserver.html. The software,
acquired from developer Glenn Anderson, supports the Simple Mail Transport
Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), two mainstream
standards for Internet e-mail. The product allows users to send and
receive e-mail over the Internet from any personal computer that supports
the SMTP and POP3 standards.
"Our acquisition of the MailShare technology provides us with one
more tool in our ongoing effort to make the Internet easy to use," says
Doug McLean, director of Apple's CyberTech Products group. "Apple intends
to leverage the technology in its Internet server products, such as the
Apple Internet Server Solution for the World Wide Web, and in its
existing e-mail products, PowerTalk and PowerShare."
Apple also notes that software developer Anderson will join Apple
as a software engineer. "We are excited that Glenn is moving from his
Dunedin, New Zealand, home to join the Apple development team here in
Cupertino. We expect he will be a great asset to our ongoing Internet
software development efforts," says McLean.
As is the nature of freeware software, Apple doesn't plan to
provide support for the freeware version. Over time, Apple intends to
commercialize the Apple Internet Mail Server by further enhancing the
product's features and providing technical support.
**********************************************************************
ATARI/JAG SECTION (III)
=======================
Dana Jacobson, Editor
> From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The dominant news these days continues to be the attempt of
government to regulate what can and cannot be viewed on the Internet.
Specifically, the message is that if it's obscene, keep it off or pay
the price.
From the few feedback messages that I received regarding last
week's editorial, most agreed with me that it should be an individual's
choice; and that the parents should have the ability to either screen
what might be objectionable, monitor their children's online activity,
or have software capabilities to lock out areas within the Internet
that contain the objectionable topics.
I realize that it's not an easy task to monitor your children's
online activity. But, there should be an attempt. I also feel that
online services such as CompuServe, America On-Line, etc. should do
their part to make sure that [true] pornography (i.e. child
pornography) should not be tolerated and removed, when found. The
other alternative, which is starting to see the light of day, are
programs which will allow users to lock out the objectionable areas.
An example of one such program is discussed below in one of our
industry news clips.
This is just one example of allowing the industry the opportunity
to monitor itself, as it should. There's no need for politicians to
get involved. Cyberspace is still a relatively new entity, and a
growing one. Let it grow and develop naturally - it'll take care of
itself soon enough.
Now onto my usual holiday public service soapbox. The July 4th
holiday weekend is rapidly approaching. This is one of the most
busiest times of the year for vacationers and other road travelers.
Please, be careful out there on the highways. Do NOT drink and drive!
Also, if you're using fireworks, do so safely. There are hundreds of
careless accidents each year which can lead to serious injuries. Have
a safe and enjoyable holiday!
Until next time...
___________________________________________
> Flash II! STR NewsFile! - Flash II 2.23 Now Shipping!
"""""""""""""""""""""""
FLASH II V 2.23 SHIPS!!
=======================
Now shipping version 2.23!
--------------------------
FROM: MISSIONWARE SOFTWARE
354 N. Winston Drive
Palatine, Illinois 60067-4132
United States of America
phone 708-359-9565
Missionware Software is pleased to announce the release of version 2.23 of
Flash II. This is our sixth update. Flash II originally went up for sale
in April of 1992. Version 2.23 fixes a number of problems discovered by
our customers and beta testers over the past few months. (See the end of
this file for details.) We've added a number of enhancements as well! If
you already own a version of Flash II just download the file F223UP.LZH
and use it to patch your current version.
Flash II is the update to the most popular Atari ST telecommunications
program ever! It's available exclusively from Missionware Software and at
an affordable price! Flash II is completely rewritten by Paul Nicholls of
Clayfield, Australia. But don't let that fool you! Flash II has the same
look and feel as previous versions of Flash...plus a slew of new features
to boot! And it's just as easy and fast to use for the telecommunications
beginner or pro!
The new features of Version 2.23 include:
-----------------------------------------
* Fully Falcon030 compatible!
* Enhanced DEC VT Terminal emulations including the ability to swap
the functions of the Delete and Backspace keys for conformance to
standard DEC terminals.
* Enhanced ANSI terminal and graphics.
* History buffer is now included for Type Ahead editor.
* Full support for all Atari serial ports on TT030 and MegaSTe as well
as baud rates up to 153600.
* Terminal mode now displays either the real time clock or a timer.
When the timer is displayed, it now runs all the time.
* Search-Next mode added in editor. Control-F9 keystrokes can be used
for this new function.
* Enhanced DO scripting language, including:
PORT: Selects the port to be used.
CLOCK: Selects Clock display in terminal mode.
TIMER: Selects Timer display in terminal mode.
DBPATH: Sets path for Block file operations.
KERMIT: Selects various Kermit transfer options.
BREAK: Sends a BREAK during script operations
Naturally, all of your old favorite Flash II features are still available:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
* DO script files compatible with older versions of Flash!
* All macros use the familiar Flash DO script format!
* Easily setup the parameters for each BBS you call...this includes
everything from ASCII upload/download options to baud rate!
* You can program up to 20 individual and separate macros for each
BBS plus an additional 10 global macros !
* Displays RLE & GIF pictures either on or off line! You can also
save or load these pictures for later review!
* Supports the following terminal types: TTY, VIDTEX, VT52, ANSI,
VT100, VT101, VT102, VT200, VT300 & PRESTEL.
* Includes full support for RTS/CTS. This mode can now be turned
on and off by the user.
* Includes Automatic Answer mode!
* Includes Auto Boards mode - Preselect the board(s) you wish to dial
and when Flash II is launched either manually from the desktop by
you, or automatically by some other program launcher, Flash II will
wake up and dial the board(s) you've got selected. It will also wait
for the proper time to dial these boards.
* Includes full featured GEM text editor with: merge, block
commands, cut & paste, search & replace, paragraph reformating; user
tab settings, page width, full keyboard cursor and delete control
and more!
* Supports the ST, IBM and DEC character sets, including IBM/ANSI
graphics characters!
* Includes Silent Line for background file transfers!
* Supports the following upload/download protocols: ASCII, Xmodem,
Ymodem, Ymodem-G, Zmodem, Modem7, WXmodem, CIS B, Kermit and SEAlink!
And all of these protocols are built into the program...no external
modules required!!!
* Zmodem supports the selection of AutoStart and Streaming options.
If you prefer to use an external Zmodem protocol with Flash II, you
can now force Flash II's Zmodem autostart mode to off. For BBS' that
don't support "streaming", this too can now be turned off.
* Logs all on line time and calculates your approximate costs for you!
* New version written in assembler! Fast!
* Runs on all ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon computers!
* Supports "Install Application". You can create a DO script that
can be used to launch Flash II from the desktop and force it to dial
up and go online for you, all automatically!
* Both the Terminal and Editor have been enhanced significantly for
both speed and ease of use. You'll be amazed at how fast the new
Flash II is!
Changes from Flash 2.22 to Flash 2.23...
----------------------------------------
+ Color Problems Resolved With SpeedoGDOS 5.0c
+ VT200/VT300 Consecutive Control Codes
+ Crashing After Using Block Delete
+ Menu - Download Option - If you selected a file that exists, an alert
popped up and when you clicked on "No" the filename wasn't erased
from the download entry.
+ Terminal ALT-W fixed.
+ ANSI Reverse Text In Terminal now works properly
+ "Let 'em Fly" Now Works Properly With Flash II
+ Odd Or Even Parity On SCC Ports automatically selected.
Missionware Software's upgrade policy remains the same for the new Version
2.23! We will continue to upgrade any old version of Flash! (c) Antic
Software) for just $30 US, plus $4 shipping and handling (US and Canada),
$8 worldwide. Or, you can purchase Flash II, version 2.23 outright, for
only $49.95 US plus the shipping and handling charges applicable to your
area. To order, or for more information, contact:
Missionware Software
354 N. Winston Drive
Palatine, IL 60067-4132
United States of America
phone 708-359-9565
_____________________________________
> DUftp! STR InfoFile! - DUftp FTP Client for GEM Available!
""""""""""""""""""""
Uploaded to:
micros.hensa.ac.uk
ftp.uni-kl.de
ftp.cnam.fr
DUftp
=====
What is DUftp?
---------------
DUftp is a GEM based FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program for use
with MiNT and the MiNT-net networking drivers. You can use DUftp
under MultiTOS, or just under plain GEM, as it uses non of the
MultiTOS AES extensions. You can use DUftp to fetch files from
any FTP server on the Internet (or any other TCP/IP based network).
This was inspired by Rapid Filer on the PC, which provides a very
simple way of transferring files (although Rapid filer does a lot
more than DUftp, as it's very like Kobold in the way it speeds up
disc access).
Why Should I Use DUftp?
------------------------
Well, the standard FTP for MiNT-net is a text based Unix port, and
although it works well, it looks a bit naff. DUftp is loads easier
to use. As well as the just transferring files you get the following
extras:
o Web-browser style bookmarks for fast access to your fave sites.
o Automatic logins.
o Full modern GEM interface (windowed dialogs all round).
o Runs under MultiTOS or plain GEM.
o Drag & Drop style file transfer.
o Multiple connections at the same time (under MultiTOS).
o Abuse from unix fans for being a pussy and wimping it.
o Fast, reliable transfers (code based on the BSD Unix ftp).
o Envy from PC users who have to pay for this sort of thing.
o AES 4.1 iconify support.
o Pretty colour icons.
o No command lines to fart around with.
o Integrated with DIP to handle your dial-up SLIP connection
for you (simple Connect/Disconnect menu options).
o Only uses 200K when running.
o Context sensitive help.
(C)1995, Data Uncertain Software
Credits
--------
Written by Craig Graham of Data Uncertain Software.
GUI done with Interface2, coded using Lattice C 5.52, all on a
falcon030 4/32Mhz. Thanks go to the following people:
o Steve Sowerby for the initial work porting the MiNT-net libraries to
Lattice C.
o Chris Ridd for the MiNTLIBpl46 port to Lattice.
o Kay Roemer for MiNT-net.
o All the folks who do beta testing for me (DUftp & CLA).
Craig.
__ _
| \ | | / | Watch this space - something wonderful
|_/ A T A \/| N C E R T A I N / is happening on 'Distant Earth' ?
-------------------------------- o
----------------------------------------
Craig Graham. EMAIL:craig.graham@newcastle.ac.uk
WWW: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/~n08z7
_________________________________________
> Atari User Groups! STR NewsFile! - Calling All User Groups!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
JUNE 1995: This is a effort to list all known active Atari users Groups
and BBSes. The last list was around Oct 1993, and includes info mostly
from Atari User and Atari Classics magazines. Is assumed to be out
of date. Please fill out and return via email or regular mail. Also,
pass this around as we need as much information as possible. Save a
copy for future changes.
SOAPBOX:The Atari market and active User base is shrinking. Many
people are isolated, many have been lost. The available users must
support the User Groups, BBSes, Vendors, Magazines, and Online Services
to the fullest extent possible. Compuserve, Genie, and Delphi all have
weekly conferences at the lowest prices ever. We must let people know
support is still available. Only in doing this will Atari support and
the end user survive.
The results of this survey will be posted to online services as a list
and possibly as a file for importing into databases. Updates will be
posted as needed. Please include 8 bit, ST/TT/Falcon, Games systems,
Lynx, Jaguar, Portfolio, etc.
Atari Computers User Group and BBS Information Survey
-----------------------------------------------------
General: New/Update:
Group Name: Acronym:
Systems Supported: Year Started:
Online Contact: Online Address:
Mail Contact: Phone:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Would you share your member list for future mass mailings(Y/N):
Newsletter:
Name:
Frequency: Disk/Paper/Electronic:
Contact: Phone:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Notes:
Would you be interested in contributing/subscribing to a national
or global Atari Support newsletter (details)?
Memberships:
Yearly Dues: Prorated:(Y/N)
Number of members (by System):
Contact: Phone:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Notes:
Meetings:
Name Day/Time Location
---- -------- --------
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Contact:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Notes:
Libraries:
System Size Avail by Mail Cost
------ ---- ------------- ----
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Contact:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Notes:
BBS:
Name: phone 1:
System on: Size/Storage: Phone 2:
Systems Supported: Phone 3:
Baud Rates: 3/12/24/48/96/14.4+ Hours: Fee:
Members only: Run by User Group(Y/N):
Sysop:
Address:
City: ST: ZIP: Country:
Notes:
COMMENTS and other Info:(Events, Dealers, etc.):
(Use a word processor to add things. If you need a separate contact
for each meeting or library, then replicate those lines.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please fill out and send via email to:
Rick Detlefsen Compuserve:74766,1561
Genie:R.DETLEFSEN
Internet:74766.1561@compuserve.com
Or by Mail: USER GROUP SURVEY
C/O RICK DETLEFSEN
8207 BRIARWOOD LANE
AUSTIN, TX 78757-7642
Please pass along to other User Groups. Also, pass along to all
known BBSes, so that the BBS list can also be updated. I'd like
a copy of a newsletter if available. I'd appreciate volunteers
that could be responsible for getting information in a
state/province/region.
Send 8 bit vendor info to Michael Current at: mcurrent@carleton.edu.
I do not have a contact for ST or other vendors lists.
Thank you very much, Rick Detlefsen.
________________________________________
> Homa Systems House! STR InfoFile! - Homa Announces New Atari CD!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
New Atari CD!
=============
Homa Systems House is proud to announce a New product, the ATARI CD
MASTER (ACM). ACM is a an authoring system for a number of DOS/WINDOWS
popular CD ROMS. ACM has the following features:
- easy user interface, fully multitasking in a window
- pictures are viewable on 2, 16 color, 256 color modes, including
graphics cards and the Falcon
- Powerful search features, with "narrow down" option. On TIME
almanac, you can search the whole CD for a particular key word(s)
- Up to 4 text windows open, with one picture window
- Save, print, ....
The following CDs are supported so far:
1- TIME ALMANAC OF the 1990s. This CD contains all the TIME magazine
articles from Jan 1 1989 to May 4 1994, will all the pictures. It also
has the TIME MAN OF THE YEAR, the CIA FACT BOOK (tons of data/picture
on various countries (>150), organizations, world statistics), MAPS,
Almanac charts and articles. View portrait profiles on 12 major persons
and events of the 20th century, highlights of each decade and all the
presidential elections, and more! This is a great encyclopedia of world
events. With ACM, you can access all the data files, pictures on any
ST with monochrome graphics, or on VGA 16 color or 256 colors (TT,
Falcon, graphics cards) up to 1280x1024, save and/or print them. You
can also do a thorough search on all the articles/ pictures, and/or
narrow down your selection to reach to your desired information.
2- TIME ALMANAC, REFERENCE EDITION, This CD is very similar to the 1990s,
except it only has the articles up to the end of 1993; however, it has
the complete TIME MAN OF THE YEAR, from year 1927 to 1993, plus hundreds
of other text and graphics.
3- UFO (I or II): This is an exciting CD with over 1300 articles, many
of them with amazing graphics describing UFO events from prehistoric
times to the present.
4- Space Missions: This CD contains over 1600 articles, with over 700
with astounding pictures on all the space missions form all over the
world (USSR, USA, CHINA, England, ...)
5- Audio CD Master v4, "NOW IN 3D" which is the ultimate Audio CD player
on the ATARIs. With this program (or accessory), you can play Audio CDs
in the background of any application using any SCSI CD ROM, even the
popular NEC 25, which no other player supports. It requires -> no <- other
drivers (i.e., metados, extendos). Version 4 has lots of new
features/enhancements, 3D buttons.
Audio CD Master offers the following:
-------------------------------------
Play, stop, pause, resume, FF, REW, eject, track. skip options.
Track options allow you to specify a range of tracks, i.e., from 2-11,
or play a single track, or play programmable tracks. You can assign up
to 16 tracks to play, and also save them, so the next time you insert
the CD, the program automatically asks you whether you want to play the
previously saved sequences. You can play anywhere within a track, i.e.,
track 4, minute 3, and second 11, for ultimate control eg: for
musicians. Displays the track names (by their name of the albums/and
tracks) for the current CD, and also you can select tracks by their
names (if you have a lot of CDs, you don't need to memorize all the
track numbers anymore). Works as a program or accessory, with any
resolution above 640x400. It is also multitasking. Has an alternate
window (a much smaller one) with all the main buttons (play, resume,
pause, stop,track, rew, ff,...) in order to have instant access from
within any program, and avoid cluttering.
ATARI TT, Falcon, ST (with ICD) is required.
Atari CD MASTER will have new drivers added to it periodically, for a
nominal fee. Pricing is as follows:
ATARI CD MASTER, complete 4 pack for only ...... 39.95 US$
Upgrade for Audio CD Master(v3) owners ...... 25.00 US$
Upgrades can be done by sending your disk directly to Homa Systems
House or It's All Relative. We can also supply you the CDs for $15 for
Time Almanac and UFO. The price of Space missions is not yet known, but
will be around the same figure. As mentioned previously, you can expect
more CDs to be added to the list (we are working really fast, there are
two more CDs in the works, estimated release time, two weeks).
At Homa Systems House, we are dedicated to bring you quality software
and hardware. If you want to be on our mailing list, please send your
name and address to one of the following:
Homa Systems House
P.O.BOX 52127
OTTAWA, ON K1N 5S0
CANADA
TEL: (613) 722-0901
FAX: (613) 722-9061
EMAIL:
genie: NIMA
internet: aa414@freenet.carleton.ca
You can expect to see ATARI CD MASTER on your friendly dealer's shelf,
or directly from us. We accept Visa/MC, or money order, or cheque for
methods of payment. 3% surcharge on credit cards.
ADDENDUM,
A NEW DRIVER FOR A CD IS DUE OUT BY THE END OF JUNE, 1995. THE CD IS
CALLED "1995 INTERNATIONAL AUTO ALMANAC". Interactive graphics and text
(specs, ....) about all the 1994/1995 cars.
--
/\/\ Nima Montaser /\/\
/\/\ |=> aa414@freenet.carleton.ca /\/\
_________________________________________
>Atari FTP List Update! STR InfoFile! - Atari Internet Sites Update!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Posted to newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st, comp.sys.atari.st.tech,
comp.sys.atari.announce
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Last edit: 20-June-1995
Additions/changes since last list: 3
- ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de (Directory change)
- ftp.uni-oldenburg.de (New Site)
- ftp.uni-frankfurt.de (New Site)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
()==========================()
// ____/__ __/ ____/ //\\
// / / / _/ // ()
// __/ / ____/ // //
// / / / // //
// _/ _/ _/ Archives // //
// // //
()==========================() //
\\ \\//
()=========================()
(log in with "anonymous" as name, and full name/e-mail address as
password) FTP instructions after this list!
A T A R I S T F T P S I T E S :
-------------------------------------
USA:
---
atari.archive.umich.edu...(141.211.120.11)..../atari/
email server.............atari@atari.archive.umich.edu
cs-ftp.bu.edu.............(128.197.13.20)...../PC/ATARI-ST/
world.std.com.............(192.74.137.5)....../src/atarist/ and
/pub/atari/
ftp.std.com...............(192.74.137.7)....../pub/atari/
f.ms.uky.edu..............(128.163.128.6)...../pub2/atari/
CZECH REPUBLIC:
---------------
ftp.dcs.muni.cz.....(147.251.48.3)........../pub/archives/atari/
SLOVAKIA:
---------
ftp.upjs.sk.........(158.197.16.30)........./pub/systems/atari
NETHERLANDS:
------------
nikhefh.nikhef.nl...(192.16.199.1)........../pub/atari/
star.cs.vu.nl.......(192.31.231.42)........./pub/atari/
ftp.twi.tudelft.nl..(130.161.156.11)......../pub/atari/
ftp.icce.rug.nl.....(129.125.14.129)......../pub/erikjan/Atari
FINLAND:
--------
ftp.funet.fi........(128.214.248.6)........ /pub/atari/
FRANCE:
-------
ftp.cnam.fr.........(163.173.128.15)......../pub/Atari/
GERMANY:
--------
alice.fmi.uni-passau.de...(132.231.1.180)...../pub/atari/
ftp.uni-kl.de.............(131.246.9.95)....../pub/atari/ or /pub3/atari/
ftp.uni-erlangen.de.......(131.188.1.43)....../pub/atari/
ftp.tu-clausthal.de.......(139.174.2.10)....../pub/atari/
email server.............mail-server@ftp.tu-clausthal.de
ftp.uni-muenster.de.......(128.176.121.55)..../pub/atari/
ftp.uni-paderborn.de......(131.234.10.42)...../atari/
ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de.......(130.149.144.4)...../pub/atari/
email server.............mail-server@cs.tu-berlin.de
ftp.fu-berlin.de..........(160.45.10.6)......./pub/atari/
ftp.uni-regensburg.de.....(132.199.1.202)...../freeware/software/atari/
vax.ph-cip.uni-koeln.de...(134.95.64.1)...... /pub/atari/
ftp.germany.eu.net........(192.76.144.75)...../pub/comp/atari-st/
email server.............archive-server@Germany.eu.net
ftp.uni-stuttgart.de......(129.69.8.13)......./pub/systems/atari/
email server.............ftpmail@ftp.uni-stuttgart.de
ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de...(131.159.0.198)..../pub/comp/platforms/
atari/
ftp.informatik.rwth-aachen.de......(137.226.225.3)....../pub/comp/Atari/
ftp.uni-bremen.de.........(134.102.228.2)...../pub/atari_st/
ma2s2.mathematik.uni-karlsruhe.de..(129.13.115.2)........./pub/atari/
reseq.regent.e-technik.tu-muenchen.de..(129.187.230.225)../pub/comp/
platforms/atari/
email server...........ftp-mailer@ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de
ftp.hrz.uni-kassel.de....(141.51.12.12)......./pub/machines/atari/
ftp.ira.uka.de...........(129.13.10.90)......./pub/systems/atari/
ftp.thp.uni-koeln.de.....(134.95.64.1)......../pub/atari/
ftp.rz.tu-bs.de..........(134.169.9.44)......./pub/atari/
ftp.coli.uni-sb.de.......(134.96.68.1)......../pub/comp/atari
ftp.inf.tu-dresden.de....(141.76.1.11) ......./pub/atari/
ftp.uni-giessen.de.......(134.176.2.177)....../pub/atari
ftp.rz.tu-harburg.de.....(134.28.240.5)......./ATARI/
ftp.uni-oldenburg.de.....(134.106.40.9)......./pub/atari
ftp.uni-frankfurt.de.....(141.2.1.7)........../pub/Atari
UK:
---
micros.hensa.ac.uk (148.88.8.84) ............/micros/atari/
email server......archive-server@micros.hensa.ac.uk
disabuse.demon.co.uk.(158.152.1.44)........../pub/atari/
phlem.ph.kcl.ac.uk...(137.73.4.24).........../pub/atari/
SWITZERLAND:
-----------
ftp.isbiel.ch.....(147.87.2.27)............./atari/
ezinfo.ethz.ch....(129.132.2.72)............/st/
ftp.switch.ch.....(130.59.1.40)............./mirror/atari/
ftp.switch.ch.....(130.59.1.40)............./software/atari/
AUSTRALIA:
---------
closer.brisnet.org.au.....(203.4.149.97).../pub/archive1/ATARIST
FTP "mirror"-sites:('back-door' to other FTP sites when they are too busy
------------------- or there are other problems accessing them!)
mirror.archive.umich.edu...(128.252.135.4) or (128.193.2.13) or
(128.193.4.2) or (128.255.21.233) or (128.255.40.200)
barnone.citi.umich.edu.....(141.211.128.22)...
/afs/umich.edu/group/itd/archive/atari
- (umich.edu, USA)
archive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4)....../mirrors/archive.umich.edu/atari/
- (umich.edu, USA)
ftp.switch.ch..............(130.59.10.40) or (130.59.1.40)...
/mirror/atari/ - (umich.edu, USA)
src.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)........./packages/atari/umich/
PS!!! 155.198.1.40 is more reliable!!! - (umich.edu, USA)
src.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)........./packages/atari/uni-paderborn
PS!!! 155.198.1.40 is more reliable!!! - (uni-paderborn, GERMANY)
- to find the numbered address of the FTP site, use the following command,
while inside FTP: ftp> !host FTP-address [CR] i.e. "!host cs.bu.edu"
DOWNLOADING FILES, Instructions: [CR]= carriage return/return/enter
--------------------------------
1) Go to the directory where you want the files to be downloaded.
2) ftp [CR].
3) open {ftp address} [CR]. i.e. "open ftp.uni-kl.de" [CR]
OR use the (IP) number address, NOT both!
4) "Name": anonymous [CR].
5) "Password": {full e-mail name/address}. i.e. "hallvart@ifi.uio.no" [CR]
6) use "cd" to access the appropriate directory. i.e. "cd pub/atari" [CR]
7) bin [CR]. (set `binary` transfer mode)
8) hash [CR]. (shows 'hash` signs (#####...) when transferring data)
9) get {filename} [CR]. i.e. "get rename.lzh" [CR]
10) mget [CR] to get several files at once.
i.e. "mget syst12.Z fixdsk.arc icon4.zip" [CR]
11) prompt [CR] to download several files with "mget" without having
to reply "y" for each file when asked "get {filename}?".
12) quit [CR] to end FTP session and go back to UNIX
13) close [CR] to close the FTP site you're currently on, so that
another site can be opened without having to set bin, hash, prompt
etc. again.
- bin, hash, prompt will be turned on/off each time it's typed!
- Be sure to check if all modes are set correctly (especially 'bin')!
- stat [CR] or; status [CR] will show all modes and where you are
connected.
- Most files are compressed. Use an appropriate program on your
computer on which the programs were intended, or in UNIX .......
- uncompress [CR] if ".Z" file
- uudecode [CR] if ".uu" file
- very often, files are still compressed in another format after
uncompressing .Z and/or .uu.
Use the appropriate decompression program for this.
- ls [CR] lists files (shows all files in current directory).
- pwd [CR] shows path. i.e. /pub/mirrors/umich/atari/utilities
- If down-loading several files with similar names use "*".
i.e. "mget *sys" [CR] (will get f.x.; datasys, lm23isys,
xlinksys etc...) (ALL files with "sys" in their names)
i.e. "mget *.lzh" [CR] (will get f.x.; stest.lzh, dw3.lzh,
xlba.lzh etc...) (ALL files ending with ".lzh")
i.e. "mget * [CR] (will get ALL files in the current directory!)
- If your computer doesn't have a disk drive you can "remote login" to
another computer (use an other terminal's disk drive);
- rlogin {computer name} [CR]. i.e. "rlogin hnoss" [CR].
- You can now access the disk just as if it was on your own machine.
- eject [CR] to eject disk on disk-drives without "eject button"
TRANSFERRING FILES TO MS-DOS DISKS
----------------------------------
Part of this is dependent on you having the GNU msdos-utilities
available at your site. If you don't, ask your local system operator
how to transfer files to/from MSDOS disks.
- mcopy {filename} a: [CR] i.e. mcopy microtcx.zoo a:
i.e. mcopy microtcx.zoo icone.lzh shblr.arc a:
- mdir [CR] to show disk-directory/space left.
- fdformat -d [CR] to format an MS-DOS 3.5" 1.44mMb disk ("-d" for
MS-DOS)
- fdformat -l -d [CR] to format an MS-DOS 720Kb 3.5" disk ("-l" for
"low density")
- mcopy a:{filename on disk} {copy filename} [CR] to get a file from
disk to computer. i.e. "mcopy a:dlist.txt test1.zip"
- mdel a:{filename} [CR] to delete a file on disk. i.e. "mdel
a:dslist.txt".
- eject [CR] to eject disks from disk-drives that don't have "eject
buttons".
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Original idea and list compilation by Hallvard Tangeraas, Oslo, Norway
Now handled by Mark Stephen Smith (msh@dl.ac.uk) with permission from
Hallvard
This list may by all means be reproduced and distributed freely, but
only with all data intact.
Copyright (C) 20-June-1995
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Mark Stephen Smith : msh@dl.ac.uk or dlms@nessie.mcc.ac.uk +
+ Atari Web Pages : http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html +
+ +
+======================================================================+
+ Atari FTP List maintainer, Atari Web Page creator and maintainer. +
+ Member and writer for CAIN (Central Atari Information Network) +
+ Atari 1040STF, 4Mb Falcon 127Mb HD, Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
_________________________________________
> STR NewsPlus
""""""""""""
-/- Murdoch Names Online Editor -/-
Media magnate Rupert Murdoch, sending a message to the online
industry that he doesn't want to be left out of the race to dominate
the Internet, has moved his top editor from TV Guide to a new position
as "online editor."
Anthea Disney, who has been editor-in-chief of TV Guide for more
than three years, was named to the top editorial post for online
services from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.
Murdoch told The Associated Press 48-year-old Disney will be
editor-in-chief worldwide for the Delphi Internet Services Corp.,
acquired by News Corp. last year.
The wire service notes Murdoch, who hopes to build Delphi into a
major online competitor, has designated Disney to design and develop
editorial content that will be delivered over Delphi Internet's
expanded service to debut this fall.
In addition to editing TV Guide, Disney has been editorial
director at Murdoch Magazines, where she oversaw magazine development
and acquisitions and the development of on-screen and online versions
of TV Guide. She has formerly been an executive producer at "A Current
Affair," a TV show produced by another Murdoch-controlled property, Fox
Television.
-/- Playboy Wins CD-ROM Suit -/-
Chicago-based Playboy Enterprises Inc. says it has been awarded a
$1.1 million judgment in the copyright infringement suit it brought
against Starware Publishing Corp. of Deerfield, Florida, and Starware's
President D. Andrew Kasanicky.
Playboy sued the defendants in the Southern District Court of Florida
for copyright infringement and violations of the federal Lanham Act,
for the unauthorized use and distribution of photographs from Playboy
magazine in a CD-ROM.
Playboy says the trial court's award is more than three times
higher than the defendants' reported sales of the accused CD-ROM,
Private Pictures I.
The court had previously granted Playboy a summary judgment that
Starware and Kasanicky were liable for infringing 53 of Playboy's
copyright registrations by including digitized GIF files of Playboy's
published photographs in their CD-ROM.
At trial, the defendants argued that they had downloaded the
Playboy images from a BBS or copied them from another CD- ROM,
believing the material was in the public domain. The court, however,
ruled that publishers should be "acutely aware" of copyright issues,
and that there was sound reason to believe that high-quality
photographs of models, particularly well-known actresses or others in
the news, were not in the public domain.
"We are very satisfied with the judgment and will continue to
aggressively pursue the unauthorized use of Playboy's materials," says
Playboy general counsel Howard Shapiro. "This case is similar to other
lawsuits we have filed against bulletin board operators that transmitted
Playboy images on their systems without our authorization, and the
outcomes are nearly identical. The court ruling sends a clear message to
new media publishers about their responsibility to secure rights to the
materials they use."
-/- Time Focuses on 'Cyberporn' -/-
In the cover story of its July 3 issue on sale today, Time magazine
focuses on "cyberporn," saying online pornography is much more popular
than surveys may indicate.
According to the Reuter News Service, the Time cover story "was
based on an exhaustive study by Carnegie Mellon University that used
computer records of online activity to measure what people actually
download as opposed to what they say they want to see."
In other words, says Marty Rimm, the study's principal
investigator, "We now know what the consumers of computer pornography
really look at in the privacy of their own homes."
The wire service says that in Time's 18-month study, researchers
surveyed 917,410 sexually explicit pictures, descriptions, stories and
film clips.
"Trading in sexually explicit imagery is now 'one of the largest
(if not the largest) recreational application of users on computer
networks,'" the study comments.
It also reports porn is profitable in cyberspace, "particularly for
adult-oriented computer bulletin board systems whose operators lure
customers to their private collections of pornography... There are
thousands of these bulletin boards, which charge fees and take credit
cards; the five largest have revenues of more than $1 million."
As reported, the U.S. Senate has focused on computer pornography
recently, passing a measure that would make some online service
providers criminally liable for obscene communications passed through
their systems. Supporters say the measure would protect children;
opponents say it would violate freedom of speech.
-/- Voluntary Smut Controls Proposed -/-
A voluntary system to let people identify and block offensive
materials that come into their homes from the Internet is being
proposed by the Information Technology Association of America, whose
members include IBM, AT&T and Microsoft Corp.
Association President Harris Miller told Associated Press writer
Jeannine Aversa that components of the proposed system could include:
-:- Rating a particular service or adopting an industry-wide code
of standards certifying that a user group or a chat room contains
acceptable contents. (The group compared the rating to a digital "Good
Housekeeping Seal.")
-:- Running a campaign to teach people how to use the Internet
responsibly.
-:- Making it easier for people to gain access to technologies
that would permit them to block objectionable materials from their home
computers.
The ITAA effort comes on the heels of the U.S. Senate's approval
of a bill to ban smut on the Internet and other computer services.
(Violators would be imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to
$100,000.)
Miller told Aversa his group wants to submit a plan to lawmakers
before they begin reconciling House and Senate telecommunications bills,
adding that even if the anti-smut provision became federal law, the
association still would adopt a self-policing plan.
Said Miller, "If people genuinely believe that the Internet is
something bad ... then people aren't going to use it."
AP says the Arlington, Virginia, ITAA plans to consult with online
services and civil liberties groups in crafting its plan. The
association's 6,700 members range from software companies and service
providers to communications companies.
-/- Program Keeps Kids From Porn -/-
Solid Oak Software Inc. has released CYBERsitter, a Windows program
that's designed to give parents the ability to block or be alerted to
the access of adult-oriented pictures and pornography on the Internet
as well as major online services.
CYBERsitter can also be used to block access to files on the
computer's own hard disk, floppy disks and CD-ROM drive.
Solid Oak says CYBERsitter works by monitoring all computer
activity. When a child tries to download or view an adult-oriented
picture, the process is automatically aborted and/or an alert to the
parent is generated for later viewing.
CYBERsitter is available now for $29.95 directly from Santa
Barbara, California-based Solid Oak Software. A trial version of
CYBERsitter is available for downloading from Solid Oak Software's
CompuServe forum (GO SOLIDOAK).
-/- Blockbuster Expands to CD-ROM -/-
Blockbuster Video's movie guide is being adapted for home computers
and the firm says it will be the only CD-ROM guide with monthly
electronic updates.
Reporting from Portland, Oregon, United Press International says
the CD-ROM version of the Blockbuster Video Guide to Movies & Videos,
already out in paperback, will be in stores July 1 at a suggested retail
price of $19.99.
Written by the Philip Lief Group and edited by Blockbuster, the
guide will have monthly updates to reflect new titles on the video
market and recent movie reviews.
Blockbuster Vice President Ted Innes told the wire service the
CD-ROM will include more than 21,000 film and video titles, video clips,
biographies, trivia questions and electronic updates, adding, "This
CD-ROM is a great complement to the book it's based upon. With the
monthly updates available to customers through an online electronic
service, it becomes a living, breathing piece of software that is never
out of date."
The disc will enable users "to create and print a personal movie
list identifying a user's preferences -- or listing those titles already
viewed -- which should make it easier to choose wisely from the video
rental shelves," UPI reports. "Users can dial in on a toll-free phone
number for monthly updates at a cost of $3. Blockbuster says each
month's update will include 50-100 new titles and reviews."
-/- Packard Bell Demands Apology -/-
Packard Bell Electronics Inc. is demanding that Compaq Computer
Corp. issue an apology to all members of the Mexican-American and
Chinese-American communities following allegedly disparaging comments
made by a senior executive to an Associated Press reporter.
Ross Cooley, Compaq's senior vice president for North America,
reportedly made the comments at PC Expo in New York following a speech
by Eckhard Pfeiffer, Compaq's CEO. Packard Bell has written a letter to
Compaq asking for a formal apology.
"Ross Cooley's comments are ignorant, irresponsible and certainly
insensitive," says Beny Alagem, Packard Bell's president and CEO. "To
suggest that Packard Bell or any other company would at any time be in
jeopardy because it hires Mexican-Americans, Chinese-Americans or
members of any ethnic group is uncalled for. Moreover, Cooley's comments
are disrespectful and an insult not only to Packard Bell's workforce
but to all members of the Mexican-American as well as Chinese-American
communities. No one should engage in this kind of behavior.
"Packard Bell is proud to have an ethnically diverse workforce
representing a broad cross-section of the American community. Compaq
owes an apology to our employees and to every American of ethnic
background," says Alagem.
________________________________________
JAGUAR SECTION
==============
- Theodore Hoff Hired!
- CATnips! - Game Schedule Updated!
- Rayman! - Super Burnout Ships!
... And more!
> From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
The latest news is that Super Burnout is at the Atari warehouse,
and started shipping to dealers on Thursday. July reportedly has at
least five titles scheduled: Air Cars, Fight For Life, Ultra Vortek,
White Men Can't Jump (packed with the Team Tap!), and Flashback. The
latest Jaguar games schedule is included in this week's issue, as
mentioned last week.
I'm not a big gaming magazine reader, but occasionally I like to
pick up a magazine to check it out, especially if I know that there's
an interesting article inside. I've read a few issues of "Next
Generation" magazine lately. The July issue (#07) contains an
interesting interview with Atari's Sam Tramiel. This interview is not
your typical Tramiel interview in which Mr. Tramiel replies to
questions with his standard answers. It's actually an interesting
piece; and if you're looking for a new gaming magazine to check out,
I'd recommend starting with this issue. Next Generation is not a major
fan of the Jaguar, but it seems from various editorial comments that
I've noticed, that they're willing to give the machine and Atari an
opportunity to make them, and us, believers.
Speaking of gaming magazines, I wish that the editors of these
magazines would teach their game reviewers how to write a review. I
wonder if these reviewers actually play the games that they write
about; or if they just run the introductions and play a game for an
hour, or less.
One thing that reviewers need to do is establish some integrity.
If they can't do a review of a game without any preconceived biases,
they shouldn't be doing reviews. Play the game, take a lot of notes,
and sit down and give an honest evaluation of the game. Forget what
you feel your readers want to read, or what your editors want you to
write. A review is an evaluation, your opinion of the game.
For those of you who rely on game reviews as a true indicator of a
game's "worth", take reviews with a grain of salt. Read a number of
different reviews if this is to be your method of making a purchase
decision. Remember, each review is just ONE person's opinion. A
reviewer may love a game which you may not; he may hate one that you'll
enjoy for hours on end. I'm so tired of seeing messages online from
people who say that so-and-so magazine gave Jaguar Title-X only a one
out of ten - avoid it at all costs - and then I see replies that state
that the game is tremendous! I can't believe that people take game
reviews as the ultimate gospel! I've written a number of game reviews
and I wouldn't want people to make a purchase decision SOLELY on my
opinions. In my defense, however, my goal is to give an honest and
unbiased opinion of the games that I review. If I review a game genre
that I'm not particularly crazy about - you'll know it from the onset.
We've got a lot of interesting news and information for you this
week, so I'm not going to lecture you any more! We're looking forward
to the upcoming games for the Jaguar, and the variety of hardware
peripherals that will be arriving shortly. We've got a number of
articles, reviews, and other interesting pieces planned, so stay tuned.
In the meantime, enjoy the current crop of games and we'll keep you
posted as the new ones arrive!
Until next time...
___________________________________________
> Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's
""""""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out.
Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp.
JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp.
J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp.
J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp.
J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp
J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp
J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp
J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp.
Cannon Fodder $69.99 Virgin/C-West
Syndicate $69.99 Ocean
Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams
Theme Park $69.99 Ocean
Sensible Soccer Telegames
Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams
J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp.
J0144E Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West
Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9052E Super Burnout TBD Atari
Air Cars TBD MidNite Entertainment
Fight For Life TBD Atari
Flashback TBD U.S. Gold
Power Drive Rally TBD TWI
Rayman TBD UBI Soft
Ultra Vortek TBD Atari
White Men Can't Jump TBD Atari
Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari
Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp.
J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable $19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95
CatBox $69.95 ICD
________________________________________
> Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CONTACT: August Liguori
Atari Corporation
(408) 745-2069
Jessica Nagel and Patricia Kerr
Dorf & Stanton Communications, Inc.
(310) 479-4997 or (800) 444-6663
For Immediate Release...
ATARI CORPORATION NAMES HOFF PRESIDENT OF NORTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS
SUNNYVALE, CA -- (June 26, 1995) -- Earlier this morning Atari
Corporation announced that Theodore M. Hoff has joined the company's
core management team as President of North American Operations. Hoff
will oversee Atari Corporation's North American operations, which
includes the United States, Canada and Mexico.
"We are very pleased to have Ted Hoff at Atari," said Atari Corporation
President/CEO Sam Tramiel. "His extensive industry experience will
play an integral part, both in the planning and execution of our long
and short term corporate strategies."
Prior to joining Atari Corporation, Mr. Hoff was Senior Vice President
and General Manager of Fox Interactive, a division of Twentieth Century
Fox. During his tenure, Hoff launched Fox's interactive entertainment
division, establishing the company's mission, structure, five-year
strategic and financial plans, and led the launch of multiple titles
based on their film and television properties.
From 1990 to 1994, Mr. Hoff held the key position of Senior Vice
President of Time Warner Interactive, Inc. (TWI), the home
entertainment software publisher subsidiary of Time Warner, Inc. At
TWI Hoff directed sales and marketing and established annual and
long-range strategies and financial objectives.
Hoff hired and directed senior staff, including directors of marketing,
sales, licensing and acquisition, and third party publisher affiliates.
Under Hoff's direction, Time Warner Interactive launched 15 to 20 new
titles per year including arcade, theatrical, and sports licenses.
Mr. Hoff's previous experience also includes senior management
positions at United Brands Co. and Philip Morris, where Hoff launched
new products and directed retail sales, marketing, and operations at
both corporations.
Atari has been in the video game business for over twenty years. Today,
Atari markets Jaguar, the only American made, advanced 64-Bit
entertainment system. Atari Corporation is located in Sunnyvale CA.
Ultra Vortek News Story/Beyond Games
By David Clifton, The Salt Lake Tribune Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business
News
Jun. 23--Chris Johnson hoped the first game produced by his company,
Beyond Games of Salt Lake City, would propel him into the competitive
video market. But he soon discovered how brutal the video-game business
can be. Johnson, 28, and friends spent countless hours making "Battle
Wheels" for Atari's hand-held Lynx system. The machine was discontinued
shortly after "Battle Wheels" hit store shelves.
"We got no exposure," Johnson chuckled. "That machine had been out
two years, and they phased it out right when we released the game." Now,
Johnson and his crew are about to release "Ultra Vortex" for Atari's
Jaguar system.
"Ultra Vortex may not be a blockbuster," Johnson said. "But it will
definitely be a decent seller." It's the dream of every small game
manufacturer: produce a unique game, get a big company such as Sega or
Nintendo to buy it and cash in on the voracious appetites of video-game
buffs. In 1994, Americans spent $21 billion on video machines and games.
Many try, but few succeed, says Ron Johnson of Electro Brain Corp.
in Salt Lake City. It's been six months since his company produced a
game. The market is saturated, he said, and the only way to compete is to
keep up with changes in technology. And that costs money. "Only a few
companies capture 80% of the video-game market," said Johnson, no relation
to the Beyond Games owner.
Two Utah firms that have made it big are Sculptured Software Inc.
and Access Software, both of Salt Lake City. Sculptured converted the
game program for the popular, ultra-violent "Mortal Kombat" games for
Sega and Nintendo. Access stormed the market several years ago with the
"Links" golf series and recently, the interactive personal computer game
"Under a Killing Moon."
"There are literally tens of thousands of products out there," said
Mindy Cook, Access Software's marketing representative. "I am sorry for
anyone trying to get into the market." Kelly Zmak, executive producer for
Sculptured Software, said video-game manufacturers -- especially small
ones -- cannot focus on past successes if they want to compete. The game
industry, she said, is getting too expensive to be passive.
"It can cost $3 million to $5 million to produce one game," Zmak
said. "It's not tough to get a single hit, but it is hard to be
consistent." Beyond Games has spent nearly $100,000 to produce "Ultra
Vortex." Chris Johnson would not say how much Atari paid for the game,
but said his crew should "have some fun" with the money.
"Ultra Vortex," which took a year to make, will be shipped to Atari
in four days and should be on the market in July or August, Johnson
said. It will retail for $69.95.
The game is similar to "Mortal Kombat" and "Street Fighter" in that
different characters battle each other to the death. To make their game
unique, Beyond Games used 3-D computer renderings, stop-motion puppets
and costumed adults to create the movements of warriors such as Grok, a
rock monster, and Volcana, a woman who burns everything in her path.
"Most companies only use one or two formats when making their
characters," said Clark Walker, who helped bring Grok to life. Artist Jim
Meier created several backgrounds for the game, including two that mirror
a Salt Lake City warehouse and the burned-out Irving Jr. High School in
Sugar House. He even drew his colleagues into several scenes, either
cheering on the combatants or lying dead on the street.
Christopher Salmon put together working models for several characters,
while Dale Meier programmed music and sound effects. Bruce Johnson, who
came late to the project, is helping put finishing touches on some scenes.
The crew, which looks more like fans of the grunge rock band Pearl Jam
than mainstream computer game creators, is already working on a sequel to
Atari's "Predator vs. Alien." They hope it will sustain any success they
may gain from Ultra Vortex.
_____________________________________
> Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Air Cars 7/95 Racing/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari
Alien vs Predator CD 2/96 Role Play/Adventure TBD Atari
Arena Football 10/95 Sports TBD V Reel
Assault 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Atari Kart 11/95 TBD TBD Atari
Att. of Mut. Penguins 10/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Baldies (CD) 9/95 Action/Simulation TBD Atari
Batman Forever (CD) 4/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Battlemorph (CD) 9/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Battlesphere 9/95 Space/Combat TBD 4-Play
Battlestar 11/95 Space/Combat TBD ?
Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games
Black ICE/White Noise 12/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Blue Lightning (CD) 8/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Braindead 13 (CD) 10/95 Action/Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Breakout 2000 11/95 Puzzle TBD Atari
Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 11/95 Sports TBD Atari
Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames
Bubsy NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adventure $69.99 Virgin
Chas Barkley Basketball 9/95 Sports TBD Atari
Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari
Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari
Commando (CD) 11/95 Action (3D) TBD Atari
Commander Blood (CD) 11/95 RPG TBD Atari
Creature Shock (CD) 8/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin
Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari
Dactyl Joust 11/95 Action TBD Atari
Dante (CD) 6/96 Action TBD Atari
Deathwatch 11/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Defender 2000 10/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Demolition Man (CD) 9/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari
Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams
Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari
Dragon's Lair (CD) 8/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft
Dragon's Lair 2 (CD) 10/95 Adventure TBD ReadySoft
Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari
Dune Racer (CD) 1/96 Racing TBD Atari
Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 MidNite Ent.
Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Fight For Life 7/95 Combat TBD Atari
Flashback 7/95 Action/Adventure TBD US Gold
Flip-Out 8/95 Puzzle TBD Atari
Formula Racing (CD) 12/95 Racing TBD Atari
Frank Thomas Baseball 4/96 Sports TBD Atari
Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari
Highlander I (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Highlander II (CD) 2/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Highlander III (CD) 4/96 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel
Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari
Hover Strike CD 9/95 Action/Combat TBD Atari
Hyper Force TBA ? TBD Comp. West
Ironman/XO-Manowar 4/96 Action TBD Atari
Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari
Iron Soldier II (CD) 1/96 Action/Strategy TBD Atari
Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari
Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari
Magic Carpet (CD) 12/95 Action/RPG TBD Atari
Max Force 9/95 Action TBD Atari
Mindripper (CD) 2/96 Adventure TBD Atari
Mortal Kombat 3 4/96 Fighting TBD Atari
Myst (CD) 8/95 Interactive Novel TBD Atari
NBA Jam T.E. 12/95 Sports TBD Atari
Phase Zero 10/95 Action/Arcade TBD Atari
Pinball Fantasies NOW Arcade $59.95 Comp. West
Pitfall 9/95 Arcade TBD Activision
Power Drive Rally 8/95 Driving TBD TWI
Primal Rage (CD) 12/95 Fighting TBD TWI
Rage Rally 2Q/95 Racing TBD Atari
Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Rayman 8/95 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft
Redemption (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
Rise of the Robots (CD)11/95 Action/Arcade TBD TWI
Robinson's Requiem (CD) 9/95 Adventure TBD Atari
Rocky Horror Inter.(CD) 4/96 Adventure TBD Atari
Ruiner Pinball 9/95 Arcade TBD Atari
Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames
Sky Hammer (CD) 12/95 Flying/Action TBD Atari
Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean
Soul Star (CD) 9/95 Action/Sci-Fi TBD Atari
Space Ace (CD) 9/95 Space/Combat TBD ReadySoft
Space War 9/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Starlight BowlaRama CD 10/95 Simulation/Sports TBD Atari
Star Raiders 2Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari
Sudden Impact 12/95 Action TBD Atari
Super Burnout 6/95 Racing $59.99 Atari
Supercross 3D 9/95 Sports TBD Atari
Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Thea Relm Fighters (CD)10/95 Action/Fighting TBD Atari
Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean
Tiny Toon Adventures 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari
Troy Aikman NFL Ftball NOW Sports $69.99 Williams
Ultimate Brain Games 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames
Ultra Vortek 7/95 Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games
Val D'Isere Skiing... NOW Sports $59.99 Atari
Varuna's Forces (CD) 11/95 Action/Adventure TBD Atari
VidGrid (CD) 8/95 Puzzle/Music Video TBD Atari
Wayne Gretzky NHL (CD) 12/95 Sports TBD TWI
White Men Can't Jump 7/95 Sports (w/Team Tap) $69.99 TriMark
Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari
Zool2 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari
[Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are
verified from Atari - all subject to change]
_______________________________________
> Jaguar Easter Eggs/Cheats/Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
We've been promising game tips and cheats for what seems like an
eternity. I apologize for not getting these put together as rapidly as
I would have liked, but our compilation of game tips, cheats, etc. is
just about complete. In this week's issue, we're providing you with
just some of the game cheat codes for Hover Strike. We'll have more
for this enjoyable game, next week. We also have an "invincibility"
cheat, but we'll only send this to you if you request it, unless
there's an overwhelming demand from our readers!
Hover Strike
Game Cheat Codes
Night Missions
Enter this code during normal game play to turn any mission into a
night-time mission. Flares will be automatically added to your
alternate weapons system.
Press UP+A+B+C+7 simultaneously.
Rotate the Globe
Press Key 4 at the mission select screen to spin the globe left.
Press Key 6 at the mission select screen to spin the globe right.
Jump Ahead One Level
Enter this code at the mission select screen to advance one level each
time the code is entered.
Press 2+4+6+7+8+9 simultaneously.
Additional Lives
Enter this code at the mission select screen to add one extra ship each
time the code is entered, up to a total of NINE ships.
Press 3+6+9+# simultaneously.
Alternate External Monitor Frame
Enter this code at the mission select screen to see different artwork
when viewing the external monitor.
Press C+4+RIGHT+1+5 simultaneously.
We'll have the cheat codes for the secret bonus missions in next week's
issue!
_______________________________________
> Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.06.22)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Yes, this is still another edition of CATnips. I thought I included
everything yesterday, but a lot of people are working hard and things
are changing by the hour.
One of the first things to do is update the tentative software schedule
from the one I sent out a week ago or so. The schedule had changed
since E3, but I didn't know what all the changes were so I sent out the
information I had. The schedule below includes up-to-the-minute
additions, corrections and changes. I will remark about key changes
after the schedule. Again, these are NOT promises or guarantees. The
information is taken directly from up-to-date project status reports
with projected release dates based on realistic developer projections.
Some of the information WILL change, but as always we will make every
effort to keep changes to a minimum. Please note that titles noted by
(*) are third party releases. Also note that some titles remain
unannounced and are not yet placed on this schedule. I apologize in
advance for any typos I may have made.
=-=-=-= JAGUAR WORKING SOFTWARE RELEASE SCHEDULE =-=-=-=
JUNE '95:
Pinball Fantasies(*) cart simulation
Super Burnout cart racing
JULY '95:
Air Cars(*) cart racing/combat
Fight For Life cart fighting
Flashback(*) cart action/adventure
Ultra Vortek (formally Ultra Vortex)
cart fighting
White Men Can't Jump (with Team Tap pack-in)
cart sports
AUGUST '95:
Blue Lightning CD flying/action
Creature Shock CD adventure/sci-fi
Dragon's Lair(*) CD adventure
Flip-Out cart puzzle
Myst CD interactive novel
Power Drive Rally cart driving
Vid Grid CD puzzle/music video
Rayman cart action/adventure
SEPTEMBER '95:
Baldies CD action/simulation
Battlemorph CD flying/action
Battlesphere(*) cart space/combat
Charles Barkley Basketball cart sports
Demolition Man CD action/combat
Hover Strike CD CD action/combat
Max Force cart action
Pitfall(*) cart arcade
Robinson's Requiem CD adventure
Ruiner Pinball cart arcade
Soul Star CD action/sci-fi
Space Ace(*) CD space/combat
Space War 2000 cart action/adventure
Supercross 3D cart sports
OCTOBER '95:
Arena Football cart sports
Attack of the Mutant Penguins
CD/cart arcade
Braindead 13(*) CD action/adventure
Defender 2000 cart arcade
Dragon's Lair 2(*) CD adventure
Phase Zero (formally Hover Hunter)
cart action/arcade
Starlight Bowl-a-Rama CD sports
Thea Realm Fighters CD fighting
NOVEMBER '95:
Highlander I CD action adventure
Atari Kart cart TBD
Brett Hull Hockey CD/cart sports
Commando CD 3D action
Dactyl Joust cart arcade
Deathwatch cart action
Rise of the Robots(*) CD action/arcade
Varuna's Forces CD action/adventure
Breakout 2000 cart puzzle
Commander Blood CD RPG
Redemption CD action/adventure
DECEMBER '95:
Black Ice/White Noise CD action/adventure
Formula 1 Racing CD racing
Magic Carpet CD action/RPG
NBA Jam Tournament Edition TBD sports
Primal Rage(*) CD fighting
Wayne Gretzky NHL Hockey(*) CD sports
Sudden Impact cart action
Skyhammer CD flying/action
JANUARY '96:
Dune Racer CD racing
Iron Soldier II CD action/strategy
FEBRUARY '96:
Alien Vs. Predator: The CD CD RPG/adventure
Mindripper CD adventure
Highlander II CD action adventure
APRIL '96:
Batman Forever CD action/adventure
Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball
TBD sports
Ironman/XO-Manowar TBD action
Mortal Kombat 3 TBD fighting
JUNE '96:
Dante CD action
Rocky Horror Interactive CD adventure
Here are key changes:
# To avoid confusion with an existing title called Vortex,
Ultra Vortex is now "Ultra Vortek".
# "White Men Can't Jump" will be packed with a Team Tap,
multi-player peripheral. The bundle will be $69.99 MSRP.
# Hover Hunter will be changed to "Phase Zero". It may turn
out that it is written "Phase 0", but I doubt it since it
could be read as "Phase Ohh" if it is.
# "Defender 2000" (as previously announced) is now on cart.
# UBi Soft has changed the release of "Rayman" to be "late
summer" according to an inquiry my staff placed this
afternoon. One source suggested that they know that
translates to September, however, I have reason to believe
it will actually be early August. The change is strictly
due to the desire of putting out a quality product. Some
rumors have been floating around that the change is
connected to changing formats or other things... not true.
# Some new titles have been added to the list which have not
appeared on it before... mostly for November and December
1995 release.
# Note that an error was contained in the software
descriptions in yesterdays CATnips. "Flip-Out" is a cart,
not a CD.
I spoke this afternoon with Joe Harabin of Sandwich Islands Publishing.
The official Jaguar Tips Book is now in blue line and will be shipping
from their Michigan printers beginning July 12th. The book is an
authorized compilation of pro tips for over 25 Jaguar software titles.
In addition, other features include popular reprints of online articles
and ads for our favorite online services.
If you did not yet order this book, I urge you to do so now. It's been
a long wait for many of us, but now that the book is finished, it won't
be that long now. It includes exclusive maps and illustrations, cheats,
tips and strategies so you can play better and reach higher levels of
skill.
To order, call 808/661-8195 and have your credit card ready... or fax
your order to: 808/661-2715. The price is only $16.95 plus $3.00
shipping and handling.
BOX COPY...
SUPER BURNOUT
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
OPEN THE THROTTLE AND LET 'ER RIP!
This game will get your adrenaline pumping and pin you to
your seat with its 'G' force. As you lean into the first
bend you'll feel like you're really there. Go for it!
Twist the throttle hard and ride that curve like a pro.
* Choose from 6 great custom sport bikes.
* Pit your skills against 8 of the world's meanest race
tracks.
* Race against the computer or go head-to-head with a
friend for a truly competitive experience.
Take the ride of your life on these fantastic bikes!
PINBALL FANTASIES
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
Turn your Jaguar into the ultimate amusement arcade with
Pinball Fantasies - the greatest pinball simulator ever.
This classic game offers four scorchingly addictive
tables with the most realistic ball movement you'll ever
see in a video game. If you're looking for instant
playability, speed and excitement, Pinball Fantasies is
the game for you.
But be warned - one game and you're hooked.
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.06.25)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Bonjour from the 64-bit highway.
HOUSEKEEPING
============
In my software release schedule I posted in my last CATnips, I
inadvertently listed "Max Force" to be a cart game when it will
actually be a CD-based title. I knew better, but I was in "mindless
copy" mode when I typed the list. My apologies to Mr. Chris Howard of
Genus Microcomputing!
NEW JAGUAR GAMERS UNDER DEVELOPMENT
===================================
It may be a few months before these new Jaguar gamers are beating their
Dads at gruelling 64-bit Jaguar head-to-head competitions, but I wish to
congratulate them now for their pending victories.
Atari's own, Dan McNamee, officially became a new Dad on May 11th at
2:37am CST. Weighing in at 8 lbs. 9.8 oz, Trevor Lee Cluney (not to be
confused with Trevor McFur) measured 22". Send your congratulations to
Dan through the Internet at [ d.mcnamee@genie.com ].
Mr. Randy Magruder runs the Jaguar and Portables section of the VIDGAM
Forum on Compuserve. His daughter, Erin Leilani, was born last week.
She weighed 7 lbs. 8 oz. at birth and was 21" long. Randy says his
"nerves are shot to hell", but "mother and baby are doing just fine!".
(Sounds like a strong dose of Doom is in order, Randy)! <g>
Congratulations go to Randy via the Internet: [ 70720.663@compuserve.com
].
JAGUAR AT WAL*MART?
===================
Mr. Jeffrey Norwood, publisher of Jaguar Journal online magazine, has
stated that the Jaguar will be sold at Wal*Mart.
"It's true", he writes to me and Dan in an open message on CompuServe.
"Wal*Mart agreed to sign to distribute Jaguar items at many of their
locations... I got a second confirmation today... my uncle works for
a Wal*Mart distributing company, McKlein, and he did mention that the
Jaguar will be on shelves later this year."
In the interest to answer the flood of E-Mail that came in to me to
confirm this report, I checked with Mr. Garry Tramiel at Atari. He told
me that Wal*Mart has sent to Atari a vendors kit which may have been
sent to us (Atari) via their distributing company. The distributing
company may be aware that, statistically, those things go to new vendors,
and we also find that to be a good sign. On the other hand, neither
Atari nor Wal*Mart have yet made any announcements regarding Wal*Mart
carrying Jaguar products.
In the meantime, Atari does remain faithful to its goal of expanding
the Jaguar's use of shelf space at existing and new retail locations.
SOME SMOOTH MOVES FROM A COOL CAT
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
While speaking to Mr. Garry Tramiel Friday, he said I could pass on to
everyone some GREAT news. Jaguar exposure on retail shelves and in
popular consumer catalogs will be outstanding. As always, information
is subject to change. The purpose of sharing this is to help keep
people informed...
The Jaguar will be featured in the new Sear's Christmas Wish Book and
in upcoming Speigel and J.C. Penney catalogs. The Jaguar will also be
at ALL Venture locations sometime in October. Montgomery Ward will carry
Jaguar in their San Francisco and Los Angeles locations this fall. A
big St. Louis chain called Grandpa's will carry the Jaguar within the
next few months approaching the fall and Christmas. The Jaguar will be
in the top Software Etc. locations and K-Mart is looking carefully at
how the Jaguar does at a location where FunCo is a concession operator
in the store.
People in many areas have already told me they have noticed our efforts
to get the Jaguar's exposure in Toys R Us locations to expand and
improve. Look for similar successful efforts in many other retail,
chains too such as Tower Records, Electronics Boutique and the
Wherehouse locations.
There are a lot more pending success stories which are simply waiting
for the ink to dry on the paper.
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.06.29)
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Any of you who feel I tend to exaggerate just because I work at Atari,
may wish to turn down the "glowing review knob" of their text editor
now. I am about to do it again. The first batch of "Super Burnout" carts
began shipping today to qualify as a June release and I snagged one
(Thanks Garry!) as they began to bundle them for the carrier.
I often don't know very much about a new software title until the game
is released. While a game is being developed I have to hope I can catch
a glimpse on monitors left unattended during the lunch hour (if the
developers even take a lunch). At trade shows, I can only hope to play
unfinished games between visits from inquisitive guests in the booth.
Once a tester gets hold of a game, forget it. They cling to the carts
like squirrels protecting their winter's keep. Once in production, the
temporary carts are converted to new things to test and the cycle starts
all over. The end result is that I often get as excited when new
software starts shipping to stores as the gamers do.
I usually have a lot of catch up things to do when I get home from the
office so, after dinner, I gave the cartridge to my 12 year old son to
check out. My son is very choosy about games and it means a lot to me
if any particular game keeps him occupied for any length of time. Next
thing I knew I haven't heard from him for a while, but there he was...
Jaguar connected to an SC1224 color monitor, a set of stereo headphones
and a posture of relaxed anxiety. I couldn't take it any longer, but he
made me wait until his race was over before setting up two players.
For those of you that don't know, "Super Burnout" is a motorcycle racing
simulator. It will have a lot of appeal to those of you who enjoyed the
classic, "Night Driver", "Grand Prix", and "Pole Position" games. After
my son completed his laps, he reset the cartridge and changed it from a
single player game to "versus" mode. We choose our cycles based on
acceleration and maximum speed features, then we chose the number of
laps and the course to run. Courses are labeled by country. There were
so many, I couldn't remember them all. There was U.S., Hungary,
Australia, France, Germany and what not else.
The results of each race report the average time to complete each lap
and the best time that any one lap was completed. Those statistics
become (my son just came in and "informed" me that he beat my record
on the Brazil course with a time of 0' 33'' 96. He has also "informed"
me he's going to destroy all the records I set before beginning to
write this report. Rotten kid! <g>) Anyway... those statistics become
the basis of establishing records. New records are rewarded with the
privilege to set three initials.
One of the Jaguar's most prominent features is the ability to play carts
as well as the upcoming CDs with the optional CD-ROM coming in August.
"Super Burnout" looks like it's another one of those games that is
packed with fun factor. The graphics for a cart game are terrific...
just wait until you race into the gorgeous midnight moon on the horizon.
There are details such as blimps, clouds, spectacular skylines and lots
of obstacles to trip you up if you take corners too fast. The control is
perfect in my opinion... no "Checkered Flag" debates here that I can see.
There's still a lot more to the cart for me to play, but I know people
like to have some feedback on new Jaguar software as soon as they are
released. As far as initial tips, get used to the tire blackened
pathways in the road. They are there for a reason... the good pilots
know where to steer for speed and performance... try to hug corners
tight and avoid the brake (which is hard because the brake light looks
cool when lit! <g>).
I strongly urge gamers to set up a small personal fan to blow against
their face as they play "Super Burnout" and they should wear stereo
headphones on this one... the soundtrack sounds cool!
"Super Burnout" will be in stores as early as this 4th of July weekend.
Burn rubber to your favorite Jaguar gaming store and get a copy before
they "cycle" out of them. The MSRP is $59.99.
Okay, the "glowing review knob" can be reset now. <g>
___________________________________________
> Atari Lynx! STR InfoFile! - New Lynx Titles Are Coming!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sb: #New Games
Fm: Laury Scott [ATARI] 75300,2631
To: all
Just thought I would let you know that we will be releasing a couple
of new titles on Lynx (in August or September). They will be
Battlezone 2000 and Super Asteroids/Missile Command. I'll let you know
the exact date as we get a little closer.
-Laury
____________________________________
> UbiSoft/Rayman News! STR InfoFile! - UbiSoft Does Rumor Control!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Sb: #Ubi Soft on Rayman
Fm: Frank Slater 100072,661
To: all
To all Rayman fans,
Wow! I check in after a few weeks' absence and there are 67 messages
about RAYMAN!
Here is the official story:
---------------------------
Rayman for the Atari Jaguar is currently in the very final phases of
quality control (a nice way of saying "debugging"). As you all know,
Rayman is the first game Ubi Soft has made for the Atari Jaguar, and
just like for any process, there is a learning curve to programming and
debugging a product on an unfamiliar system. The delays that have taken
place in our launch plan were not intentional. There are no secret
strategic implications whatsoever, the delays to Rayman Jaguar have
absolutely nothing to do with the other versions of Rayman. We just
wanted to make this product the best game available for the Atari Jaguar,
and that objective forced us to take the time necessary to do things
the right way. We obviously wish we could have released this game many
months ago (believe me...!) but we didn't feel it was ready then.
Ultimately, you will be the judges -- but I am certain that once you
play Rayman you will agree that it was well worth the wait.
As of the current schedule, Rayman for Jaguar will be ready for
production by the week of July 17th. Because we can't pin down an exact
date for its subsequent release into stores, we've been saying "late
summer." (It will theoretically be in stores 4 to 5 weeks after
entering into production.) I'll try to visit this Forum more often to
keep you all informed. As we get closer to the end, it will be easier
to know the exact dates.
Rayman for Jaguar can be pre-ordered now at both Electronics Boutique
and Babbage's, and will be for sale in a wide variety of retail stores
once it is released.
I know it must be hard to be patient - as a marketing professional for
Ubi Soft I have had "punch-the-wall" moments myself over the delays in
this game! But I really think you'll all agree that it was worth the
wait.
I'll be looking forward to hearing what you think once it's released.
Thanks for your attention,
Frank Slater
Ubi Soft
(US informational hotline: 415-332-5011)
__________________________________________
> ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
=====================
On CompuServe
-------------
compiled by
Joe Mirando
73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Ah, the lazy days of summer... they're
finally here! That's right, it's that time of year when the swimming pool
and air conditioner become our best friends. I don't know about you,
but as long as I've got my friend, Mr. Air Conditioner, I'm happy. Oh,
one other thing, I've simply got to have my CompuServe fix! Hey, going
online fits right in with the summer motif because CompuServe is COOL.
After a long day, there's nothing I like better than to kick back with
my modem and trusty ST and cruise through my favorite areas on
CompuServe. C'mon along with me and I'll show you what I mean...
From the Atari Computing Forums
===============================
For the past month or so, we've been hearing quite a bit about a program
called NOS which provides Internet access for Atari ST users. Jerry
Kent posts:
"I have just down loaded the latest version of NOS 0.42 and found it a
breeze to set up. It worked first time with no problems so far. Many
thanks to Michel Vanhamme for doing such a fantastic job, especially in
making the instructions so very clear. I have just received the July
edition of STFormat and Frank Charlton has written an article about a
gem shell for AtariNos called Oasis which sounds interesting. He says
its available on ftp.demon.co.uk. Of course I can't get to it not being
a Demon subscriber. Has anyone used this? Can anyone tell me where else
I could get it? Could it be put on file at compuserve?"
Christian Roth tells Jerry:
"You CAN get Oasis without being a demon subscriber. Just do a
anonymous-ftp on 'ftp.demon.co.uk'. You'll find Oasis in the
pub/atari/oasis directory. I have had severe problems in setting it up
a few weeks ago, maybe there's a newer version right now, who knows. It
seemed to hate the CIS-style user id (it couldn't create a file with
the name of the user id!)."
Meanwhile, my friend Myles Cohen asks:
"I've seen several files listed on BBS systems with the extension
.tgz...
What are they and how does one use them..."
Sysop Bill Aycock tells Myles:
"The "tgz" extender is really shorthand for ".tar.gz". It indicates
that a bunch of files have been archived by 'tar' (Tape ARchiver, a
Unix thingie) and then compressed by 'gzip' (I would guess the Gnu ZIP
program). In the Unix world, one would gunzip the file to standard
output, then pipe it into tar for extraction (all on one command line
:-)... I could swear I've seen untar and gunzip/ungzip prgs in the libs
here, but my feeble memory can't remember what they're called..."
Carl Barron tells Sysop Bill, Myles, and all the rest of us:
"gzip - search for gzip*.* it should appear... if not, holler.
tar - should show up searching for tar*.*.
If you have mint and a mint aware shell, you can do the unix pipe
approach gzip -dc filename.tgz |tar xf -.
I have a mint aware tar that does the above gzip pipe for you. Without
mint you will need twice the space of the uncompressed file available
to decompress and detar the file. With mint its a 'unix pipe'... With
out a 'real shell'
gzip -dc filename.tgz >tempfile.tar tar xf tempfile.tar
[It] Is almost certain to work... It may still complain about xmodem
padding if xmodem was used during any of the current files transfers."
Myles tells Carl:
"I gather that I will have to download a bunch of MINT files and read
a whole bunch of new...and probably confusing...instructions that are
attached...
Then I'll most likely need more hard drive space...lots more...maybe I
should buy a ZIP drive...I wonder if Toad sells them configured for
ATARI computers...
Does anyone know..."
Carl tells Myles:
"NO you don't need to know unix,download Mint,etc. to do this, a cli
will help immensely even a crude msdos shell will work.
# decompress the file
gzip -dc filename.tgz >tempfile.tar
# debunch the tar file
tar xf tempfile.tar
# remove the temp file
era tempfile.tar/n
Using Mint will be faster and consume less disk space. Also beware
tarfiles can contain long.filenames.like.this.one particularly if they
did not originate from a tos/msdos environment. What is the file,
where is it? If its not too huge, I can do it and zip it up and upload
it. [I hate lzh too confusing a command line structure it has :)]"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Myles:
"There is a file in the library that shows how to use the *.tgz files.
It is from a message Carl Barron posted earlier.
With regard to the ZIP drive ... ICD is still working on the driver
for it. They have a beta for it currently but it still has some
problems that ICD is working on."
Thomas Bretschneide posts:
"I'm using CompuServe via IBM-PC WinCIM. How do I get Atari Prg.files
out of this forum from my MS-DOS Harddisk to my ATARI Computer?"
Albert Dayes tells Thomas to...
"Format a 720K disk on the PC and copy the files from the hard disk to
it. After that you can use the files directly on your Atari ST. This is
assuming your ST has a double sided 720K drive."
Denis Postle tells us:
"I bought my usual copy of the Dutch Atari ST Niews mag today and there
it lists among many other PD progs, a Web Browser called Oasis
Internet-pakket. From the screen shot this looks to be a clone/copy of
Netscape which I run on a Powerbook, even down to the N at the right of
the buttons.
Have you tried Oasis? Is it not a viable alternative?"
Michel Vanhamme tells Denis:
"I have a version of Oasis sleeping on my HD and doing
nothing...because I haven't been able to install it. The installation
program copies files from the NOS folders for its use, BUT it looks for
a file called ACTIVE in the NEWS directory of NOS. I have never had
such file in my folders... ->Installation aborts. I did run the program
just to have a look at its user interface. I suspect it to be not
entirely GEM-compliant, because I've had 'strange' redraws when reading
the online help. Regarding the WWW, there's a menu for it, but my
version (1.00) doesn't support it. I don't know if it's the latest,
though.
So, has anyone managed to install this thing?
Meanwhile, the next time I do an FTP session, I'll look up the Demon
site and see if there's a newer version."
Neil Newman posts this about using NOS:
"[I] thought I better re post the contents of that fist message I sent
which some
how got distroyed when I posted it....
"Regarding that "Can't lock file /spool/news/history" problem a few
people were having, I had the same problem myself.
I had Nos up and running from the root directory of E drive with the
spool folder in the root dir of E also, I was getting the newsgroups
without any problem. I then moved the lot into a folder to tidy things
up an thats when I got the "can't lock...." problem.
I added the command;
'nntp directory /ka9q-nos/spool/mail /ka9q-nos/spool/news'
to the startup.nos file and it corrected the problem."
Adding this command with the other NNTP commands allowed the spool
folder run in the ka9q-nos folder, I no longer have NOS running in the
root directory of my HD."
Chris Roth tells Neil:
"That's a way it will work as long as you won't like to process e-mail
with NOS (I know it won't work with CompuServe, but anyway <g>...). As
I said previously, I'd recommend creating an /ka9q-nos/spoool/news/in
folder four your incoming batch.txt file and adding that path in the
'nntp dir' command for future use with Oasis (when it comes to work
flawlessly)."
When Neil Burton asks about using Spectre GCR (The Mac emulator) with a
Fast Technology T-25 accelerator, Daniel Osborne tells him:
"I don't know about a T-25 working with Spectre, but I am using a
Spectre GCR 3.0 on my Mega ST4, with a Turbo030 board (68030 at 50
Mhz) and no problems. So the increased speed of the processor,
probably is not the problem.
Exactly what happens when using Spectre in 25 Mhz mode?"
Neil tells Daniel:
"I can't get to the point of using Spectre wit the T-25 coz when
booting from the ST the cartridge isn't recognised !! I get the old
'Cart isn't loaded or is upside down' routine !!!"
On the subject of using the Gemulator, the ST emulator for PCs, Robert
Carpenter posts:
"I haven't run Gemulator on a Pentium (I understand it's quite fast on
it),
but it runs fine on my DX2/66.
"As far as limitations, when Gemulator 4.0 comes out (hopefully within
a month), most of the current limitations will be gone (MIDI support,
joystick support, CD-ROM support, no more 32 Meg hard drive partition
limit (if using real DOS partitions)). It runs great for productivity
software (PageStream, Calamus, WordWriter, etc).
Games are another matter. Currently (don't know about 4.0 since it's
still in beta), Gemulator doesn't do well when trying to run
auto-booting games. However, if it's a game that you can run from the
GEM desktop, then you've got an excellent chance of it working.
Bottom Line: what apps are you looking to run with Gemulator?
There's a good chance that someone here can tell you if they work with
Gemulator or not. However, please keep in mind that 4.0 (Windows
version of Gemulator) may take care of the remaining compatibility
problems. It's quite a nice thing to have around, though."
Rob Rasmussen tells John Trautschold of Missionware Software:
"Your advice has really been helpful, like with setting Falsh 2 for
RTS/CTS, turning off control characters, and using the macros. It works
great but I still have a few questions.
I would like to have the Type Ahead buffer come up automatically when
I first make a call. How can I do this? Many settings are saved for
individual phone numbers when I Save Boards. I can also make the same
settings under the Options menu, like for terminal or RS232. Are these
Options settings global - do they apply to any number being called?
Other settings, like turning off control characters and carriage
returns under Editor options seem to be saved in Save Defaults. What
else is saved under Save defaults? The path I presume and what else -
could find this in the manual.
When I type OFF to log off of CIS, it quits CIS then goes to the Host
prompt where it remains connected. I have to select Terminate Call from
the menu for it to disconnect. How can I make my modem automatically
disconnect after I type OFF?"
John tells Rob:
"Glad to hear you are making progress with Flash II. Let's see if we
can't tackle some of your other questions now!
That's easy. In your auto macro line, just enter the command (without
the double quotes): ">TA ON|". Everytime you log onto that board, your
type ahead window will automatically open.
No, the settings you set under the Options menu work only when Flash
II is used to dial manually from the terminal screen or when using Dial
Number from the Phone menu. You must reset all of those settings for
each individual board in Edit Boards.
With that said, if you are creating a new board list from scratch,
there are a number of things you can do to make life easier for
yourself. Set up, under the Options menu, the settings you use most
often. Those settings will be transferred into the black Edit Board
slots. Also, things like macros get transferred from the first board
slot in Edit Boards to all of the others. If there are some standard
macros you use everywhere it makes sense to load them into Edit Boards
Slot 1 first. It saves a bunch of typing.
Everything under the Options menu is saved in the default file.
Likewise, the options you set for each transfer protocol are saved in
the default file. Finally, Memory Options, under the Capture menu, are
also saved in the default file. If you set a path for transfers, that
is *not* yet saved in the default file, however, when our all-new
version is released later this summer, the transfer path will be saved.
F2 remains connected because CIS' node is still active. When the Host
prompt appears, CIS' computers are waiting for you to log back on
again. I do that regularly since I have 2 accounts here - 1 personal
and 1 for business.
In any case, there are a couple of ways to handle this. The first is
to just type OFF again when you see the Host prompt. That tells CIS
that you are definitely going away. The second is to let F2
automatically do it for you. Included with the CompuServe setup that
came with F2 is an F10 macro. If you go into Edit Boards and look at
the CIS macros I've set up, you'll see one for F10. To log off, just
press the F10 key. It sends CIS a "bye", then waits for the Host
prompt and does a disconnect. It make life really simple.
Let me know if you have any other questions."
Sysop Jim Ness jumps in and adds:
"Just FYI, you can use the LOG command instead of the OFF command when
you want to redo a login. The LOG command gets you back to the User ID:
prompt instead of the Host Name: prompt. Saves a step or two.
Also FYI, since we're talking shortcuts, you can give your password and
User ID at the same time if you use the following format:
User ID:71333,1003\your*password
The backslash tells CIS that your password is coming, and CIS turns off
echo to keep it from appearing onscreen. The whole thing save another
step.
Hey, I've got a hundred of 'em..."
John tells Jim:
"Thanks for the shortcuts. Learned something new again today! :-)
My brain is just overflowing.
The LOG command sounds nifty. I'd probably use it except I don't log
on to my personal account that often - no more than once a day. I
usually log on with the business account a least a couple of times a
day. I'd have to write to function key macros then and remember which
one to use! :-)
You'll have to write up a short list of secrets for making shorter
macros for logging on!"
Jim tells John:
"Here's the ultimate login short cut. It assumes you always wish to
visit the same first area:
User ID:71333,1003/GO:ATARIV\your*password
In one line you enter your User ID, your first destination, and your
password (which is not echoed). The colon between the GO and the
destination is required."
Rob Rasmussen, after trying out John's advice, tells him:
"The type ahead line now comes up automatically when I call a phone
number since I added what you said to the auto macro. Great! Still
having problems when I want to log off. I used your F10 macro, which
types "bye" and then goes to the Host prompt where after about 15
seconds it disconnects. I'm still curious why I can't get it to
disconnect immediately without going to the Host prompt. Since I only
have my one account I never need to re-dial from the host prompt. I
tested this using the Flash 1 factory disk, a manual call. After
logging on manually, I type OFF and it takes me to the Host prompt too.
But when I use the DO file that I have used for ages with Flash 1, when
I type OFF, it logs me off immediately and I get the No Carrier with no
Host prompt. It seems something in the DO file sets it up so that when
I type off, it will not go to the Host prompt. This sounds crazy,
because the DO file only logs me _on_ automatically. Here is the Flash
1 DO file I use. Can you see anything in here that I also may need to
set in Flash 2?
>ED AS 0MS|
>MO VI|
>ED XM CLZ|
>RT|
>PA 1|
>WA ID:|
72717,2707|
>WA :|
MY PASSWORD|
>CA ON|
>TA|
BTW, looking forward to the new 2.23 upgrade."
Sysop Keith Joins tells Rob:
"I think you probably have another entry in your Flash 1 DO file that
the CIS message editor weeded out and that is a little heart shaped
character that represents a Control-C sent when you get a carrier.
When you log on that way you get a user ID: prompt rather than a Host
Name: prompt and when you log off are you are disconnected at once.
Your Flash 2 log on is sending a carriage return on carrier detect
which will cause a prompt of Host Name: with a reply of CIS. Logging
off from this type of connection does take you back to the Host Name:
prompt where you must enter OFF or BYE again to disconnect."
In answer to Rob's slow disconnect problem, John tells him:
"Well, it shouldn't be taking 15 seconds. It takes about 5 seconds
when I use the macro. The reason you can't disconnect immediately is
because that's the way CompuServe set up their system. Perhaps Jim
Ness or someone else knows a faster way to do than I do. Again, 15
seconds is way too long. Make sure you've got Disconnect Time set to a
low value (assuming you modem can handle it) of 0.1 or 0.2 seconds
instead of the default of 2.0 seconds. That'll help speed things up.
Actually, I suppose there is a quicker way to get off, but it's not
clean. when you're done you could just do a >HG| command in F10. That
forces F2 to hangup the modem immediately. CIS should be able to
handle it, but I've always preferred a clean off, just to make sure my
billing time ends when I want it to end.
Without seeing the macro you use with Flash 1, I can only guess that it
shortcuts the procedure. Again, as noted above, there's nothing to
prevent you from just logging off with a HG command when you're done.
I programmed the macro to do it the right way mainly because I don't
want folks coming back complaining that my logoff macro cost them
money! :-) If you wish to circumvent that, be my guest!"
Dante Turrini asks about his Spectre cartridge:
"I am having trouble with the GCR cartridge, like this: I am the user
of Notator Logic by EMAGIC, a music sequencing software that runs on
the TT, and has a MIDI port expansion/dongle that connects on the ROM
port (like the GCR does).
If the GCR is connected thru this other cartridge, it cannot see the
ROMs. I have asked to EMAGIC, and they say their cartridge leave the
signals to pass thru, and they claim the problem is generated by the
GCR or by the emulator software.
What can you suggest to solve my problem?
And finally, the old nasty song: Is there any possibility to have the
new Spectre version in reasonable time? Is there anybody that will take
over it's development?"
Mark at Gadgets by Small tells Dante:
"This one has popped up before. Dave Small's research revealed that
the ST and TT cartridge port signals are just too weak to handle
multiple cartridges connected in parallel. Apparently, the GCR draws a
bit more power from the cartridge port than most cartridges, thus
making the GCR a problem cartrdige when used with other "pass through"
cartridge devices.
As it is, I'm afraid there is no fix that I can offer. Sorry.
As for a new version of Spectre... Dave has indicated an interest in
continuing to develop Spectre but he has expressed doubts that there
is enough interest to warrant the time and money. Of course, due to
the Bankruptcy of Gadgets by Small, any future version will have to be
called something else besides Spectre."
Daniel Osborne adds:
"Yes, but you can CartMaster from Wizztronics. You can have up 4 carts
connected to your ST or TT and switch between the various carts via a
program that can be run through your AUTO folder, desktop, or as an ACC
file.
Works just fine with my Sepctre GCR and Discovery cart."
Well folks, that's about it for this week. Tune in again next time,
same time, same channel, and find out what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
______________________________
> STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips"
"""""""""""""""""""""
- SECAUCUS, N.J. PANASONIC CUTS SRP OF REAL 3DO MULTIPLAYER!
-------------
Matsushita Consumer Electronics Company (MCEC) announced a $100.00
reduction in the suggested retail price of the Panasonic FZ-10 REAL 3DO
Interactive Multiplayer system. The new suggested retail price is $299.95.
The FZ-10 will continue to come bundled with the hit software title, GEX,
from Crystal Dynamics.
The reduction in suggested retail price comes as the 3DO format
enjoys continued strength in the marketplace. The Panasonic unit is
available in over 9,000 outlets, encompassing new, expanded distribution
channels, and the library of 3DO software continues to grow rapidly. Over
200 titles are currently available for the Interactive Multiplayer, with
185 more in development. Panasonic Software Company alone has published
15 titles, with at least 10 more scheduled for introduction before
Christmas.
- San Diego, CA SUPER HIGH SPEED SERIAL PORTS ON THE WAY!
-------------
Our "super snoop" discovered a fancy tidbit.. About future serial
port speeds... The best the standard high speed serial port can do now is
115.2Kbps., which is nothing to be ashamed about. However, next year you
will begin to see a NEW SERIAL PORT called the Universal Serial Bus (USB)
with MULTI-MEGABIT speeds. Btw, _that's_ FAST!
- Ottawa, Canada CorelDRAW 6 @ $695 US FOR THE CD-ROM VERSION
--------------
Corel Finalizes Pricing
and
Outlines New Support Policy for CorelDRAW 6 for Windows 95
"Our move from a 16 bit to a 32 bit application has resulted in a huge
investment in development, coupled with the acquisition of the new
technologies. We are offering our customers a robust and dynamic 32-bit
graphics suite," said Dr. Michael Cowpland, president and chief executive
officer of Corel Corporation. "In addition to major upgrades to the
CorelDRAW and Corel PHOTO-PAINT( modules, users will gain a new and
exciting 3D animation module with CorelDREAM 3D, as well as a complete and
easy-to-use presentation package with Corel PRESENTS."
CorelDRAW 6 is Corel's first 32-bit Windows 95 offering. The product will
ship in late August and will contain four full-featured modules and nine
utilities, plus extensive libraries of fonts, clipart images and symbols
and photos. The four main modules include the following:
CorelDRAW: a comprehensive vector-based drawing application.
Corel PHOTO-PAINT: a powerful paint and photo retouching application.
CorelDREAM 3D: a 3D modeling and rendering application.
Corel PRESENTS: a business and multimedia presentation application.
There will be a single upgrade path to CorelDRAW 6 from all previous
16-bit versions. The suggested retail price of the CorelDRAW 6 upgrade
will be $425 US for the CD-ROM version*.
New Technical Support Policy for CorelDRAW 6
--------------------------------------------
Corel has adjusted its technical support policy and expanded its in-house
support team. In order to help customers through the initial learning
curve, Corel will offer 90 days of free support on a toll line from the
official release date of the product. Thereafter, customers will be
offered 30 days of free support on a toll line from the date of their
first technical support call.
Corel's in-house support technicians will provide all customer support
during the warranty period in order to monitor customer feedback and
quality control. Extended support will be offered by third party
providers after the initial warranty period has expired. Existing support
plans will remain in effect for all other products.
Corel provides these additional support options:
------------------------------------------------
IVAN: Corel's Interactive Voice Answering Network that provides customers
with rapid access to the most current product information. Customers can
obtain this service, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, on a toll line by
calling (613) 728-1990.
Bulletin Board Service (BBS): A 24-hour information resource that lets
customers access product information and helpful program files. To
contact the BBS, customers dial (613) 728-4752 or (613) 761-7798.
Automated Fax System: Customers may obtain faxes of technical information
by dialing (613) 728-0826 ext. 3080 and requesting document number 2000.
CompuServe Information Services: CompuServe( subscribers can access the
Corel Technical Support forum by typing GO COREL.
Corel's Home Page: An Internet World Wide Web site with product and
technical information. Customers may access Corel's site at
http:\\www.corel.ca.
*** CorelDRAW 6 registered users may purchase the equivalent of 40
diskettes through Customer Service centers as a special order item for the
additional price of $149 US. For current pricing please contact Corel
Customer Service at (613) 728-3733.
________________________________________
> GATEWAY MILESTONE STR FOCUS!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
GATEWAY 2000 SHIPS ITS 3-MILLIONTH SYSTEM
=========================================
LOUISIANA RESIDENT GETS NICE WAKE-UP CALL
-----------------------------------------
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D., June 19, 1995 --Gateway 2000r, Inc. (Nasdaq:
GATE), the leading direct market of personal computers in the United
States, today reached another milestone in the company's ten-year history.
At approximately 10 a.m. today, system number 3,000,000, a Gateway 2000
P5-120, rolled off the production line of the South Dakota manufacturer.
In recognition of Gateway 2000's continued growth, company President and
CEO Ted Waitt, pulled the completed system off the line and made a
telephone call to Clint Cormier in Bossier City, Louisiana. Cormier is
the customer who placed the order for the Gateway 2000 Pentium-based
system that turned out to be PC number 3,000,000. After thanking Cormier
for his loyalty to Gateway 2000, Waitt informed the customer that his new
Gateway 2000 P5-120 would be arriving at his home at no cost as a way of
expressing the company's gratitude to him for his business.
Cormier is a recent graduate of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
He told Waitt that he had "done his homework on PCs" and came to the
conclusion that the logical choice was a Gateway 2000 system. Cormier
will soon enter LSU Medical School and said his new PC will be an
invaluable tool to him as he continues his education.
Since its founding in 1985, Gateway 2000 has grown from a 2-person
operation with sales of $100,000 to a Fortune 500 company with more than
5,400 employees and revenues in excess of $2.7 billion a year. Today's
shipment of its 3,000,000th system begins a year-long schedule of
activities that highlight the company's 10 year anniversary.
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
> A "Quotable Quote" A few "Words of Wisdom"
"""""""""""""""""
"NOT EVERYTHING FACED CAN BE CHANGED, BUT NOTHING..
CAN BE CHANGED UNLESS IT IS FIRST FACED."
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STReport International OnLine Magazine
-* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *-
HTTP//WWW.ICBA.COM/STREPORT
AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 100,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" June 30, 1995
Since 1987 copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No. 1126
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of
The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and
Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the
editors/staff of STReport International OnLine Magazine. Permission to
reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints
must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue
number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein
may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without
prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication,
is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of
STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and
contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use
or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained
therefrom.
"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
-----------------------------------------
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