:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 2 - Issue 4 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 14 February 1993 :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: :: :: ATARI .............. News, reviews, & solutions ............ ATARI :: :: EXPLORER ............ for the online Atari .......... EXPLORER :: :: ONLINE ................. Community .............. ONLINE :: :: :: :: Published and Copyright ½ 1993 by Atari Corporation :: :: """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: Editor .............................. Travis Guy AEO.MAG :: :: Assistant Editor GEnie............ Ron Robinson EXPLORER.1 :: :: Assistant Editor CompuServe...... Albert Dayes AEO.1 :: :: Assistant Editor Delphi..... Andreas Barbiero AEO.2 :: :: News Editor ........................... Lyre AEO.3 :: :: Editor-at-Large ................. Ed Krimen AEO.5 :: :: Hardware Editor .......... Britton Robbins AEO.4 :: :: :: :: Contributors :: :: """""""""""" :: :: John J. Lehett Timothy Wilson :: :: :: :: :: :: Editorial Advisory Board :: :: """""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: President, Atari Corporation........................Sam Tramiel :: :: Director of Application Software...................Bill Rehbock :: :: Director, Computer Marketing ........................Don Thomas :: :: Director of Communications...........................Bob Brodie :: :: Corporate Director, International Music Markets....James Grunke :: :: Atari Explorer Magazine............................Mike Lindsay :: :: :: :: Telecommunicated to you via: :: :: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" :: :: GEnie: AEO.MAG :: :: CompuServe: 70007,3615 :: :: Delphi: ABARBIERO :: :: Fnet: AEO Conference, Node 706 :: :: AtariNet: AEO Conference, Node 51:1/10 :: :: :: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Table of Contents * From the Editors .................................... Murphy, Brownouts. * Atari Works ................... Atari's dazzling new integrated software package offers power. Andreas previews. * Krimen from GEnie .................................. Piracy justified?!? * Atari Explorer Review .................. Oregon Research's Diamond Edge. * Dateline Atari! ................... Bob Brodie's February 5th GEnie RTC. * GEnie News ........................... New files & happenings on Atari's Official Online Resource. * AEO Calendar of Events ............... Atari shows for the rest of 1993. * Andreas' Den ............................ Atari Falcon030s on the telly. * The Great Connecticut Trading Fair ......... Lyre. The snow. Great buys. * An Introduction to UNIX and the Internet .................. Part 3 of 4. * Developing News! ....................... SpiritWare keeps NIV, adds NASB SoftLogik Font Blowout MDS intros MultiWriter STraight FAX V 1.07 STraight FAX BBS Calligrapher 3 & STraight FAX * Shutdown ............................. LAN across the USA - CodeHead RTC Atari Falcon030s RSN! --==--==--==--==-- ||| From the Editors ....... Atari Explorer Online: The Next Generation ||| Travis Guy / | \ GEnie: AEO.MAG ------------------------------------------------------------------- You aren't supposed to be reading this. Seriously. There's been an avalanche of ill-timed events that have conspired to prevent this issue of AEO from being assembled. From all-night power outages to thunderstorms to snowstorms to hard drive crashes to cross-country crew training to atrocious "real work" schedules, Murphy has worked overtime to thwart publication. Now, unless a huge Electro Magnetic Pulse has wiped out every electrical device on the planet more advanced than a light bulb in the time since I've uploaded, we have succeeded in bringing you the latest Atari Explorer Online, your guide to The World Atari. Our feature article this issue is a preview of Atari Works, Atari Corps new integrated database, word processor, spreadsheet and telecom package - we've added a few PC3 snapshots for flavor. I've used Atari Works for the wordprocessor. I can say that it is a highly interesting and comfortable piece of software. I enjoy working with it. I'm pleased to start two new features in AEO. First, Atari Explorer Review is a reprint of a recent product review from Atari Explorer Magazine. In this issue, Ron Robinson gives Oregon Research's Diamond Edge the once over. Our second new feature is the AEO Calendar of Events. Lyre is keeping track of user group and trade industry shows and we will republish the Calendar on an occasional basis to keep you informed. If you have an item you wish to have included in the Calendar, drop us a note in the electronic aether stream. We've listened to some of our reader feedback, and so are modifying the amount of reposts from online services that we carry. Modified versions of Threads from the Internet, and Atari Users Online: GEnie will return next issue. Snapshot Time! The snapshots included in our archive this week have to do with Atari Works. They are: GRAPHS.PC3: Two graphs that I created in seconds from that bogus spreadsheet data I entered on the left. (Something neat that I noticed - a change to the data in the spreadsheet resulted in immediate changes to the graphs!) DB.PC3: A shot of a hastily created database file. You can drag the fields around the screen and resize them. Another nice touch: note the use of SpeedoGDOS fonts in the database window. WP.PC3: Fooling around with the article. Note the toolbox at the top of the document window. You can select justification, line spacing, 4 different kinds of tabs, font attributes, and drawing tools. Look in the Title Bar of the window, and you'll see that Works keeps track of whether you have made changes to your document, and if you need to save it. In the left hand margin, check out the speaker icon and the page icon. These icons (representing attached digitized voice files and "notepad" files) can be "played" or "read", deleted, and moved about. They're cool. PREFS.PC3: The main Set Preference Dialog for Atari Works. Make sure you read The Shutdown at the end of this AEO. There's some good news for all Atarians tucked away in there. I hope you'll enjoy it as well as the rest of this edition of AEO. --==--==--==--==-- ||| Atari Works .... Atari's reentry into the software application field. ||| By: Andreas Barbiero / | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Atari Works - Professional software development comes in house! Program written by Pradip K. Fatehpuria For a long time, many Atarians have voiced an interest in obtaining a comprehensive, multi-function program to handle word processing, database needs, spreadsheet manipulation, and telecommunications. Those needs have been listened to and are about to be filled. Atari has personally undertaken this project instead of relying on third party developers. With the introduction of SpeedoGDOS (SGDOS) and MultiTOS, Atari has placed two new standards into the marketplace, and with their integrated package, Atari Works, they are providing a program that is compatible with both of these systems and with all Atari computers - setting the standard for a new generation of software. Even with the new power of MultiTOS (MTOS), an integrated package is still needed. All the functions that a small business (or a large family!) requires are available in Atari Works. The user will no longer need to rely on several applications which might not talk effectively to each other, or even run under MTOS! Compatibility between such programs is extremely useful, as anyone who has ever wanted to mail merge a database file into a wordprocessor file knows. Atari Works uses both the new SpeedoGDOS (SGDOS) font scaling technology, and MTOS. But even without MTOS or Speedo, Atari Works can still multitask its own modules, and can be used as a plain nonscalable font wordprocessor. This is a system independent product, which can be used by older 68000 STs with four megs, as well as any TT030 or Atari Falcon030. The word processor in Works is possibly the best in its class. It incorporates iconified text, margin, and font handling, with basic drawing functions and graphic import. A command bar across the top of the screen allows one to easily manipulate a highlighted section of text, and perform quick italics, underlining, superscript and subscript on a font without resorting to loading the specific font with the desired text feature. With a click in the margin bar, you can add margin notes through a dialog box. Nice for when you're turning in an article to your editor, and you want to flag a section of text! For those with DMA sound, Audio Annotation is an option that allows you to attach an .AVR sound file to a document. For those lucky enough to run Works on an Atari Falcon030, the Audio Annotation file can be generated from the Falcon030's microphone input! Atari Works is not a replacement for a full fledged DTP product like Calamus or PageStream, but for someone who wants to product professional looking letters and flyers, it is more than sufficient. The area of commands in the wordprocessor module tends to be reminiscent of PageStream, what with keyboard commands to capitalize a block of text, or to make it uppercase or lowercase. The spelling checker and thesaurus are a delight. You can spell check the entire document, or just a highlighted section of text. The thesaurus offers definitions of many, many words, and can give you synonyms, related terms, and antonyms. Works combines abilities in text editing, without the fancy fonts or graphics, as well as commercially supported fonts numbering in the thousands, making it more than just a document processor, but not a complete desktop publishing program. //// More Than A Three Ring Circus Remember that Atari Works is several programs in one. The spreadsheet has all the basic functions you might expect from any spreadsheet, but with this one you can use custom fonts, create all kinds of custom charts, like pie and bar charts, and cleanly cut the data and place it into the wordprocessor. The spreadsheet currently is Excel command compatible, although it doesn't read or write Excel compatible files. If you are lucky enough to have a TT030 with the 19" monochrome monitor you can have several full screen text, database, and spreadsheet files open at the same time and smoothly cut and paste between them. Updating a number in a spreadsheet automatically updates any connected graphs - I am still amazed at the nice touches I find while exploring Works. The ability to use all of these features on a regular 68000 ST (achieving great results) is fabulous. I am using SpeedoGDOS and Atari Works to write this on a MSTe, and the speed is more than usable. I honestly was prepared to find a product dog-slow in redraws, but I was wrong! I have six megabytes of fonts installed on my system and my Deskjet 500 has never been happier! //// The Future For Works Atari Works is a program under development, but at this stage, it is fully usable. Other options are underway right now, such as a wider variety of file import modules and built-in a telecommunications module. What that will be like, I don't know, but Bill Rehbock assured me that they are making sure that it has ALL the basic features needed for telecommunications, as well as the ability to send faxes, and to support a Falcon030's DSP port modem! Bill is very pleased with the depth of Works in general, saying online that, "Atari Works has been a very good proof of theory regarding the O/S and GEM, and son of a gun, it really does work :-)" IMG support, and more sophisticated graphics handling are expected, as well as any other options that the extensive team of beta testers are suggesting. In conclusion, this program will provide all Atari users with a powerful business application that can be used by home users, small businesses, and everyone else who is lucky to have access to an Atari computer! Well, I guess that wraps up this preview of Atari Works. When Version 1.0 of Works is finished and ready to ship, look for a in-depth review of it right here - first - in AEO. --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- CompuServe Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- To sign up for CompuServe service, call (voice call) (800) 848-8199. -- -- Ask for operator #198. You will be sent a $15.00 value CIS membership -- -- kit for free. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- CompuServe Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| Krimen on GEnie ..................... Piracy - Life in the Fast Lane. ||| By: Ed Krimen / | \ GEnie: AEO.5 --------------------------------------------------------------------- You won't believe this: I've found a way to justify piracy! It's a similar theory to driving over the speed limit. Even though it's illegal, no one abides by the 55mph rule. With the way cars are designed these days, with aerodynamics and high-performance suspensions, you can be going 70mph on the highway and it will feel like 30- or 40mph. It's too easy, just like copying software. In Los Angeles, people are going 70 in the slow lane. There's no way you can hold it under 55. Some people will agree with me on those points, but they're very poor justifications for piracy. Piracy won't produce the physical scars that a speeding car crash will, but it creates emotional pain for those who try to make a living by putting their hearts and souls in programming, only to have selfish thieves steal their hard work. I won't say that the size of the ST market is due to piracy, but the piracy that does occur doesn't help the situation. There certainly is more piracy in the DOS and Macintosh markets, but because our market is smaller, we feel it much more. The ST developers that write the programs you love, like the program that you used to download this magazine, are only one- or sometimes two-people operations. No, they don't have spacious offices on a multiple-acre, Microsoft campus; they often only have a spare bedroom in their house or a small office which they use for programming, packaging, and distribution. When you steal their program, you steal their livelihood. Although ST developers don't charge that much for software, you'll agree that it beats the competition on other platforms which charge much, much more. I decided to focus on this topic since a burst of messages (numbered 130 through 133) recently appeared in Category 18, Topic 7 in the Atari ST Roundtable. Wally Wilson started it off. It's happened again for the buzillionth time in my computing lifetime... FRIEND: Wally, what kind of computer should I get? WALLY: Well, what do you want to do with it? FRIEND: I want to keep my checkbook, do some graphics, maybe write some letters, and play a game every once in a while. WALLY: Heck, sit down here and try this computer out. (They try out my Atari for an evening, and like it mucho.) FRIEND: Does it run IBM Software? WALLY: It will with an emulator, and the new Atari coming out will take an IBM emulator card...why? FRIEND: Well, my dad (insert name here...dad, friend, uncle, etc.) has an IBM, and he'll give me copies of all his _really good_ software. I want to get an IBM compatible because I don't want to spend all my money buying software. WALLY: How do you think your dad got all his software? FRIEND: When he bought his computer one of his friends at work gave him copies of all his _really good_ software. He doesn't like to buy software. ...and so on, and so on, and so on, ad nauseum. This makes me want to scream. Just imagine, I personally know of no less than seven people with the exact same software. They all get quite a kick out of the way they "recycled" it amongst themselves. Yes, each software title was only purchased by one person, and they then _shared_ their copies amongst each other. This is just among people I know personally in a town of 8,000 people. I'll let all of you draw your own conclusions, but to me this is disgusting. It is piracy. Incredible, a whole line of computers sold on the premise of cheap (free) and easy access to software that your friends have (and who knows where they got it from, but if you like, they'll let you photocopy their photocopy of the manuals). Does anyone in the IBM world actually _buy_ software, and if they do, do they ever refuse to give a copy to a friend of theirs? To me it's obvious that this isn't the generation of computer users that started out writing their own games and software on a brand-spanking new Commodore PET or a TRS-80. They have no idea of the amount of sweat and blood and brain cells that go into the making of something like CorelDraw. They have no appreciation or consience for others' efforts to make a living. They have no idea that they are the vanguard to the death of their own platform if they keep this up -- and if not _the death_, then certainly software out of the reach of their pocketbooks or not up to the standards of quality they are suddenly getting used to. When they finish ruining the IBM as a platform, who's next? Totally disgusted, Walter S. Wilson Then Al Fasoldt responded with another example of blatant piracy. Wally, As a newspaper columnist one of the standard kinds of calls I get from readers goes like this: "Hi! I'm using ABC program and I'm having a hard time getting it to work. Do you know anything about ABC?" "No, not much. I use another program for (word processing, database, spreadsheet) use...." "Want me to send you a copy?" I agree, IBM users seem to feel that laws are made for someone else. Al The word "piracy" will elicit different responses from different people. There are three basic reactions. The first type is puzzlement, and represents the reaction of the majority of users. When mentioning the word "piracy," they'll just look at you like they have absolutely no idea what you're talking about - and they really don't. As computers become easier to use and more like standard appliances that everyone can use, you'll encounter more people who don't know that copying software is illegal. They don't understand the amount of work that goes into producing an application of any size. Without education, this problem will continue. Spread the word. There's been some effort to inform us ers, but it's not enough. The second type of reaction is disregard. These people know what piracy is and that copying software is wrong, but they do it anyway because it benefits themselves. They're selfish people. They don 't think about the harm they're doing to themselves, not to mention programmers. If they didn't steal the software, more companies might be interested in supporting the various computer platforms with better software. Pirates don't consider that someone has worked diligently on this product, and they're stealing it, just like shoplifting or purse-stealing. The third type of reaction is gut-wrenching agony. Programmers, their families, and their friends feel this painful emotion when they learn that software pirates are raping the programmers of their hard work and diligent efforts. It's difficult to stomach the fact that instead of spending even $30 or $40 on a program in the ST market, pirates prefer to obtain the application illegally. It hurts when you put hard work into a product and its support, and your reward is virtually nil. Developers support a platform because they want to see it succeed. Purchasing software encourages developers to expand software and whole product lines. More money in the hands of developers means that they can hire more programmers so that software can be enhanced with more and better features. Everyone wants a fantastic program with an abundance of quality features, and the only way that's going to happen is if people pay for software. John Weaver replied to Wally's and Al's claims with the following remarks. I've owned a dozen different computers, and I've heard the _exact_ same conversations relative to _all_ of them. I've also known owners of _all_ of those different computers who walked the straight and narrow, who paid for every program they used, and who refused to hand out copies of those programs, to the point of losing friends. Piracy isn't a function of platform - it's a function of morals and ethics. There are people with (and without) those qualities to be found on _all_ platforms. Software pirates forget the many benefits of purchasing a software product. Foremost is the manual. Many people should read manuals, but they don't. Sure, the programmer worked hard to make the program easy to use, but you know those features that you find out about from your friends months after you've had the program? Well, those are in the manual, and if you'd read the manual, you'd know about them right away, instead of waiting and relying on your friends to tell you. For instance, manuals often list a program's hotkeys, which are always a quick way to perform certain functions. I usually read the manual before I install the program, just to make sure there isn't anything special that I should keep in mind when using it. If you read the manual beforehand, you have a pretty good overview of how it explains the application, so when you have questions later, you know where to quickly find the answers, even if the manual has an index. Futhermore, the manual is much quicker than telephoning the developer or posting a message. And hey, browsing a manual is free - the phone call is not. Another benefit of purchasing software is vendor support. If you're having a problem with an application and you're sure the answer isn't in the manual, you can call them on the phone or post a message on a BBS or network without feeling guilty that you've stolen their software. Of course, it's up to you to determine if the level of support that the developer provides is adequate for your needs. Poor customer support is no excuse for stealing software. Buy software from companies that provide excellent support and you can be guaranteed that they'll stick around and treat their customers right. Finally, purchasing software qualifies you to purchase upgrades and updates. Companies with excellent customer support are always upgrading their software to add and enhance features, and fix compati bility problems. Informing developers of your wants and desires for a specific program will often make your wish come true; all you gotta do is ask. Chances are, other people have asked for similar features. The more demand there is, the more likely the feature will be implemented. Most developers even offer new versions at extremely low cost - sometimes free. Craig S. Thom provided some input regarding how businesses treat software and its licensing. Wally, something to remember is that most peecees are sold for business use, and most businesses (or at least enough to matter) are very scrupulous with "keeping legal" with software licensing. The company I work for, for example, has clear documentation on every license for every piece of software in use. We make sure that, when software is installed, there is a matching license in the dat abase for it. We periodically audit workstations within the company to make sure no one is installing software of their own. For network-based applications, we use a product that makes sure no more users can be accessing the programs than we have licenses for, and we only do this with programs that allow this in their license. We've got hundreds of legal copies of fairly expensive (by Atari terms, anyway) applications. We even include copyright awareness in our computer training, and have a company policy that willful copyright violation is grounds for dismissal. With home use, yes, software theft is rampant for all platforms. But it's business use that makes software profitable. True, there are many, usually smaller, businesses that steal software, too, or buy just one copy of a program and spread it around, but these are just as contemptable as individual thieves. Honest businesses are far more common. Software piracy is a serious matter. In the DOS/Windows and Macintosh markets, the damage that piracy has caused is not as apparent as damage that it causes on smaller markets such as the ST's and Amiga's. The only solution for smaller markets is to encourage users to buy software. There's no two ways about it. Without software sales, there won't be a market for developers to develop software. Goodbye platform! --==--==--==--==-- ||| Atari Explorer Review ............... Oregon Research's Diamond Edge. ||| By: Ron Robinson / | \ Courtesy: Atari Explorer Magazine --------------------------------------------------------------------- //// The following article originally appeared in the November/ //// December 1992 issue of Atari Explorer Magazine under the umbrella //// theme of Hard Disk UTILITIES. This article is Copyright ½ 1992, //// Atari Explorer Magazine. Look for an Atari Explorer subscription //// form following the review! DIAMOND EDGE, the newest and possibly the finest hard disk repair utility, has arrived. Oregon Research's latest program features a very easy to use graphical interface and a comprehensive collection of disk diagnostics, undelete, protection, repair and optimization functions. An elegantly designed user interface makes the program very easy to use. All functions are accessible from the control screen and GEM drop down menus. Graphical displays give you bar graphs depicting percentage fragmentation by file size. A map gives a visual picture of where the data is placed on your hard drive. Clicking on All Info graphically shows you the space available on all your drives. Most operations can be performed on one, any or all of the partitions on your hard disk with a single command. //// Diamond Edge Anatomy Diamond Edge is supplied on a single floppy with a very well written 76 page spiral bound manual. The manual includes an excellent tutorial on the Anatomy of a Disk Drive. This tutorial goes a long way towards clearing up some of the mysteries of disk drive technology and provides enough information to understand the what's and why's behind using Diamond Edge. Diamond Edge provides a wide range of disk utilities which can: ù Graphically and statistically examine your drives to see if optimization is needed. Regroup your files and directories for faster access speed. Files can be placed on your drive to maximize the speed of reading or writing to and from your disk. ù Save, edit and restore critical partition and file data. This allows you to recover from hard disk crashes or repair damaged drive information. ù Test and repair physical errors on your hard disk. Sectors with defective media can be marked to prevent their use by programs. Data can be recovered from files that include physically defective sectors. ù Test and repair file errors on your hard drive. File and disk structure damage can be detected and corrected. Files and directories can be recovered. A memory resident Mirror utility automatically saves critical information allowing the recovery of deleted files and directories. ù Perform partition maintenance operations such as: configure, zero, un-zero and wipe. ù Test the data integrity of the files on your drives using checksum and/or CRC data. Use this data to verify that optimized or restored files are good. ù Perform partition to partition copies as image or defragmentation copies. ù Provide on-line help for most functions. ù Work well (most operations) on floppy disks also. //// Starting Up Diamond Edge When first run, Diamond Edge starts things off with a fully automated installation program that asks for information allowed by the Geneva Convention such as your name, address and serial number. The program files and AUTO folder programs are then automatically decompressed and installed on the drive you choose. You are wisely advised to perform a back-up and read the manual before using the program. In the event you're struck by a disaster, the manual walks you through the generation of an Emergency Disk that can be used to restore file, partition and SCSI information. By periodically saving this information, you can protect yourself from future hard drive crashes or even virus attacks. Diamond Edge is now ready for a test flight. You can first set up your preferences for using the program. All configuration settings are saved and reloaded the next time you use the program. An Expert/Novice mode controls the level of help warnings you get before performing operations. An extra level of warnings can be enabled - handy when first using the program to ensure you do not do something you may later regret. An Active Drive window across the bottom of the screen allows you to select the drive you wish to test. A Disk Information screen provides you with everything you would ever want to know about your hard drive and the files it contains. The Fragmentation Map graphically shows the physical relationship of the files on your drive. Files, free space and fragmentation are all visually displayed along with the appropriate statistics for the partition or drive. This display fills in the same order as a real directory search would, giving you a very good indication if the drive speed would benefit from optimization. The Fragmentation Map is also fun to watch! An All Drive information display gives you a bar-graph display for each of your drives indicating the percentage of space used along with some additional statistics for the drives. //// Disk Repair Shop On A Disk A Medic disk repair feature allows you to test and repair the file structure of your hard drive. A brief description of the types of errors Diamond Edge can detect and help you correct includes: ù Boot Sector - disk structure information can be restored from archived data. ù FAT Fault - File Allocation Table (FAT) info is stored in two identical tables. If they do not match, Medic will help you determine which are most correct and assist you in a repair. ù Invalid Directory - garbaged directories can be truncated or deleted. ù Unreadable Directory Sectors - damaged directory sectors are adjusted or deleted. ù Illegal File Names - invalid characters in filenames are corrected as well as two files in the same directory with the same name. ù Bad Directory Entries - directory entries that aren't valid are deleted. ù Inconsistent File Size - if the number of clusters allocated to a file do not match the count contained in the directory, the directory is adjusted to match reality. ù Bad FAT Entries - entries that point to illegal or nonexistent clusters are deleted. Files are truncated and the file size adjusted. ù FAT Chain Collisions - if two or more files think they own the same cluster, copies of each file are made and you can then decide which is correct. ù Lost Clusters - clusters in the FAT that don't belong to any of the files are adjusted. The Diamond Edge documentation provides very good explanations for each of the above types of problems. While running, a visual screen shows you where errors are detected. Disk Medic can automatically repair errors and/or log errors to a file if you choose. A built-in file view utility can be used to display any affected files. The integrity of data on your disk can be validated using Diamond Back II compatible CRC and checksum files of the information on your drives. This file contains a unique number that identifies the content of each file. The file can then be used to make sure the information within each of your files has not changed since the last time you performed a checksum or CRC. You can save hard disk configuration information using the Archive features that allow you to save the file structure and SCSI partition info. The complementary function provides restoration of the file structure and SCSI partition info if needed. This capability allows you to restore even very badly damaged disks or recover crashed disks. As a non-scientific test of the repair features of Diamond Edge, I have reset the computer in the middle of an optimization. (Don't do this at home folks.) Diamond Edge was able to recover the partition automatically - no muss, no fuss. //// Bad Sector Mapping A Map disk operation will verify that the sectors on your drive are good by finding and marking any bad sectors that may have cropped up. Three types of bad sector mapping are available: ù Read/Read Non-destructive - each sector is read twice. If the reads do not match, an error is noted. ù Read/Write/Read - each sector is read, written back and read again. If the second read does not match the first, an error is noted. ù Write/Read (destructive) - random patterns are written to the disk and read back. If the data does not match, an error is noted. Data on the drive is overwritten while doing this and should only be used if you have backed up the data on that drive. Again, the documentation provides clear explanations of each of the tests. A graphic screen tracks progress through the tests and displays bad sectors. Bad cluster numbers are also displayed. //// Data Recovery The Diamond Mirror system automatically saves critical disk information that allows you to recover deleted files. The Mirror program automatically runs from your autofolder to keep track of changes in the FAT resulting from deleted files and saves that information for future recovery. The program's intelligent undelete feature will automate recovery of the files. If Mirror has not been run, undelete will still help recover files if possible under TOS. Using Mirror, even fragmented files and subdirectories can be recovered. The program uses FAT and directory information stored in the mirror data files to help reconstruct a deleted file. The program will validate the integrity of the undeleted file if you have a current set of validation files. Data from lost clusters or zeroed disk partitions can also be identified and recovered. //// General Disk Management A wide variety of powerful disk management and information tools are available within Diamond Edge. These utilities include hard disk partitioning, copying, zeroing, wiping, etc. A utility to edit the partition map of the drive is available within the program. SCSI drive partitioning is supported for most of the Atari ST and TT030 standards (Atari, BMS, ICD, Supra). You can modify your partitioning scheme, hide partitions, save and restore partition information. Backup utilities provided with Diamond Edge include hard drive to hard drive backup capabilities to copy a partition with defragmentation or to do an image copy partition for very fast backuphandy for SyQuest owners. //// Optimization The optimizer part of the program can restore speed to your hard drive by regrouping files and directories. A fast compress free space mode minimizes the time to group files together. Read/Write speed prioritization can be used to tune your drives for the way you use them. The drive is automatically tested before optimization using the Disk Medic functions. As your drive is optimized, a graphic status screen shows the files being moved on the drive map display during optimization. Diamond Edge performs a full optimization by defragmenting directories and placing all of the directory sectors consecutively on the disk. This will speed file searches, and places all of the files within each directory consecutively to optimize disk performance. This means Diamond Edge always performs a complete disk optimization where other utilities may only un-fragment files. //// Documentation And Support Oregon Research Associates has a very good reputation for taking care of their customers who own their Diamond Back hard disk backup utility. Existing Diamond Back II owners can take advantage of a special limited time offer and purchase Diamond Edge for $50 plus $5 for shipping and handling. Just furnish your Diamond Back II owner's registration number when ordering. //// Got A Hard Drive? You Need The Edge! Diamond Edge is a genuine bargain at $69.95 - particularly when you consider there are several programs in one: optimizer, disk diagnostics and repair, data recovery, delete protection and disk utilities. Not only does it perform superbly, but all of its various functions are controlled through an excellent user interface. If a utility program saves a critical file from a crashed hard disk just once, the product will more than justify its price. This is why I would strongly recommend purchasing more than one disk utility as a check/backup. You may find a situation where one works where the other does not. I feel everyone who owns a hard drive should check out Diamond Edge - it's a winner! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// HD Utilities Benchmark Chart =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Benchmarks to compare optimization speeds of several utilities were performed on a very, very fragmented partition. As a reference point, the first item in the table is a ``partition to partition'' image copy. After defragmenting the partition, each program was run again to see what the minimum time would be (second column), optimizing a partition that essentially did not need defragmentation. Test Partition: Total Bytes: 21,425,152 Used Bytes: 18,993,152 Number of Folders: 83 Number of Files: 1,002 # of fragmented files: 121 Before After Product Optimization Optimization Diamond Back Image Copy 228 sec Diamond Edge (OR Res. Assoc.) 451 sec 26 sec MOS Utilities (Max Out. Soft.) 685 sec 54 sec HD Sentry (Beckemeyer) 1,040 sec 103 sec HD Toolkit (MichTron) 1,854 sec 363 sec Test hardware was a MegaSTE connected to a fairly slow (in today's terms) external hard drive (old ICD host, CDC Wren drive). The above results may not reflect the latest versions for some of the programs listed - your mileage may vary. A T A R I E X P L O R E R M A G A Z I N E SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE! """""""""""""""""""""""" VISA/MASTERCARD orders call (218) 723-9477 Subscribe today and get every issue of the only official Atari magazine delivered right to your door! [] YES!, I want to save up to 30% over newsstand price on Atari Explorer Magazine. Please send me: [] 1 year (6 issues) for just $19.95 - I SAVE 16% [] 3 years (18 issues) for just $49.95 - I SAVE 30% [] Payment enclosed [] Charge my VISA/MC [] Bill me later ______________________________________________________________ NAME AERR-AEO0204 ______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________ CITY STATE ZIP ______________________________________________________________ CARD # EXP. DATE ATARI EXPLORER MAGAZINE P.O. BOX 6488 DULUTH, MN 55806 (218) 723-9477 Newsstand price $23.70 per year. Canada add $5.00 per 6 issues. Foreign add $10.00 per 6 isues. U.S. funds only. Canadian GST included. Please allow 60 days for shipment of first issue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertising Director: Darren R. Meer - (408) 745-2134 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . --==--==--==--==-- ||| Dateline: Atari ............ Bob Brodie's February 5th RTC on GEnie ||| / | \ Courtesy: GEnie ------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================= (C) 1992 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XTX99437,GEnie and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information. ======================================================================= Special Edition Friday Night Conference GEnie ST RoundTable Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie Host - Lou Rocha February 5, 1993 <[Lou] ST.LOU> Welcome to another session of Dateline Atari! with Bob Brodie. Let me begin by thanking Bob and his colleagues at Atari (Bill Rehbock, John Towns, Greg LaBrec, Dan McNamee) for their online support of GEnie members. Their participation has been most helpful to all and has certainly raised the excitement level in the ST Round Table. Since we last met Bob, there has been increasing information about new software to be bundled with the Falcon030. We have also heard about MultiTOS, SpeedoGDOS and that great new integrated application, Atari Works . Bob, I have really been looking forward to tonight's RTC. I think the transcript for this one may set a new record for downloads surpassing even your last meeting with us. So let's get this show on the road with your opening comments. GA I'd like to welcome every one to our February installment of Dateline Atari! I hope that all of you are enjoying these conferences as much as I am. I'm pleased with the opportunity to interact with each of you, and share with you all the latest events in the Atari Community. Tonight, I want to start things off by discussing the current status of the Atari Falcon030, and then we'll talk about our integrated package, Atari Works. At our last session of Dateline Atari, I told you about the delay in the shipments of the Atari Falcon030 to North America. The reason for the delay was unacceptable performance from one of the contracted manufacturers that Atari is dealing with. At that time, I also indicated to you that we would be bringing on another firm to supply us with Atari Falcon030s, as well as attempting to resolve the quality concerns with the units at the original manufacturing site. I'm pleased to report that the new factory has come on-line in the speedy fashion that we anticipated that they would. We have seen the first runs off of that line, and the quality is dramatically better than the original units. A recent run tested out at less an 0.5% defect rate, which is thrilling news to me! This means that our projections last month that Falcons would be available in North America in March is right on target! We _WILL_ to have the machines in stock in March!! The added plus of this delay is that we have completed MultiTOS, and all of the machines in North America will ship with MultiTOS! There will be no customers that will purchase Atari Falcon030s that will have to be "retrofitted" with MultiTOS! While we are still debating internally how we want to distribute MultiTOS to the established user base, I'm very pleased that it is _done_. In addition to the inclusion of MultiTOS, we will be finalizing Atari Works as well, and hope to have that available as well to ship with each Atari Falcon030, along with SpeedoGDOS. Let's talk about Atari Works at this point, and try to give you a glimpse of what is coming with that product. Atari Works is a fully integrated word processor, database, and spreadsheet. It's intended to provide the average user just about anything that they might require in a package to be used in either the home, or for a small business/home office scenario. Most of our energies with Atari Works have been focused on the word processor component of Works, as we believe that word processing is still the most common usage for home users. The Atari Works word processor offers multiple documents, full cut and paste between documents and the other portions of Works, easy set up of justification (left, right, center, or proportional), and importing of GEM metafile images. Atari Works has full SpeedoGDOS support, which means multiple scalable outline fonts with multiple sizes, and your usual bold, italics, underline, outline, superscript, subscript, footnotes, and headers. Works uses the Proximity dictionary system, and updated version of the system that was used with Word Up and Word Flair II. There is also a thesaurus included with Works. Works has full search and replace capabilities, again easily activated by drop down menus. One of the features that I really enjoy in using Atari Works is the exceptionally easy mail merge capabilities with Atari Works database module. It's always been something of a pain for me to have to mail merge. It seemed to me that there was never really a system that felt very intuitive to me for mail merging. With Works, there is a drop down menu called "Begin Merge" that allows you to begin the process. It's TERRIFIC!!! On the editing side of the coin, Works allows you to transpose letters that just need to be flip-flopped with a Control-T command. Its also "intelligent" about it's editing, in that if you begin moving around text, Works will recognize the need for additional spaces and automatically insert the spaces for you. There are also commands that will allow you to do a number of different text commands, like setting areas to all caps, or all lower case, and other text handling. The word processor of Atari Works also supports the importation of standard ASCII text, the Microsoft Rich Text Format (RTF) files. This is an increasingly popular format used with PC and Mac word processors, like Microsoft Word. The logical extension of that is that your documents at work can be saved out as .RTF files, and readily brought into Atari Works with the formatting fully intact!! The database portion of Atari Works will import .DBF files, tab delimited ASCII, and comma delimited ASCII. The Atari Works database is a breeze to set up and work with, too! If you start a new database file, the system begins prompting you for field names, until you tell it you're done. Once the fields are entered, you simply click on the fields and hold down the mouse button while you drag the field to the desired size! Simple, eh? You can add additional fields later by simply clicking on the database form with your mouse. Fields are moved about the page simply by clicking and dragging them. You can display the records in a form fashion, or in a list fashion that looks very spreadsheet-ish to me. :) Since everything in Atari Works is fully GEM compliant, you can also highlight portions of the database records, and save out the area as a GEM metafile and drop it into your document! Of course, this also applies to the spreadsheet as well. That makes displaying graphs and tables as part of your document easier than it's ever been before. Bill Rehbock, the product manager for Atari Works, tells me that the database portion of Works will feel very familiar to anyone that has ever used a database on a Mac. My sentiment was that I didn't find an overpowering need to run to the docs just to get things going, the database has a very comfortable "feel" to it. I'm not generally comfortable with ANY database, so I have great confidence that most of you will really enjoy the database portion of Atari Works. The spreadsheet portion of Atari Works is Excel command compatible. Our intention with the spreadsheet is not to compete against stand alone products like LDW Power, but to provide a good, basic speadsheet for users to be able to chart, graph, and track their finances. We have some portions of our business presently tracking their finances under the spreadsheet of Atari Works. I could go on a little bit longer about the spreadsheet, but I think I've gone on about as long as I dare on this opening. Let's see what kind of questions are out there, Lou! <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob, this is terrific news. Thank you for preparing these opening comments. Since we have so many new users with us tonight, could I please ask everyone to use the /nam (your name) command before you /rai your hands. Our first question is from Bob Frazier of the Kansas City Atari group. Go ahead Bob. <[kcac-prez] B.FRAZIER2> Bob....I need to know if you found a firm date for the Kansas City Atari Fest..We are at a standstill Hi Bob, I spoke with Garry Tramiel today, and don't have a yes or no about our attending CES in June yet. The possibility exists that we might still have a booth at that show to launch the new Atari Jaguar Game Console. We'll pick this up in email later on, with Dorothy Brumleve. I also got a fax from the CT. Show folk, and they are looking at a June Show Date as well. I'm very happy that we have you online now here on GEnie, as it is making our planning for what is shaping up to be an EXTRAORDINARILY busy show summer much easier. I know that the gang from San Antonio, Indy, and Asheville also very much appreciate the cooperative spirit that you have shown. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... do you have any questions about the Falcon or Atari Works? You may have a followup. <[kcac-prez] B.FRAZIER2> No....I just needed to know about the show date...Thanks... <[Lou] ST.LOU> OK... our next question comes from JCD at New Dimensions. <[JCD] NEWDIMENSION> Hi Bob. The upcoming Atari products are excellent as ususal, but are we really going to see an major increase in Atari's market share in the computer industry? Will Atari _finally_ understand that a national advertising campaign is desparately needed. It seems more advertising dollars are put toward the Lynx than the computer line. GA Hello, Jeff. Nice to see you again online tonight. As I have indicated in previous conferences, Atari has the confidence that this machine will be a tremendous success. Sam Tramiel indicated back in August of last year that Atari didn't have the same confidence in the Mega STE/TT030 line as a major success in the US, due to the pricing/features/performance constraints. In short it's not a question of Atari finally understanding that they need a national advertising campaign, it's a question of Atari having the faith in a product that can be a national success. The Lynx is clearly a technically superior product to the other handhelds in the marketplace, which explains the advertising support that the Lynx has enjoyed. The Atari Falcon030 is also a product that represents a major technical advancement over the existing CPUs in the marketplace. As a new dealer, I'm sure that you can also understand the importance of not just having a product that you are a fan of, but a product that the public can see a real value in for them to buy. I know that you'll also be pleased to hear that the number of dealer inquiries since the article in BYTE have skyrocketed. You'll probably not be the only Atari dealer in your area for very long. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> JCD... there is quite a lineup of questioners. Please hold your additional question for now and /RAI again. Thanks. Next is Joe Torres. <[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> I have a three part question on ATARI WORKS (YEAH!): 1)Does it support graphics (lite DTP)? 2) What resolutions will it support (falcon only?)? 3)Is it too early for price/availabilty for existing STe Users? GA Hiya, STimpy, it supports GEM metafiles in the word processor which are readily available both online here, and in packages from people like Migraph's Easy Draw. Atari Works will function in any mode that supports 80 columns, which of course includes ST Medium resolution. Pricing is still under discussion, but will include a bundling of SpeedoGDOS and about 14 BitStream fonts in the package. It will be competitive with other verions of WORKS that are already in the marketplace on other platforms. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... John Cole from Lexicor is our next guest. GA John... <[Lexicor] J.COLE18> Bob, just got the latest version today, fast and great. My first bug report is that I just looked up the plural for 'spelling' and it's 'spelling' not 'spellings' as in the menu bar :-) Fantastic program and I cant wait for it and Falcon. GA John, glad to hear that you like it. The bug is probably related to the Indian roots of our programmer, Pradip Fatepuria. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks John. Next is Eric Nickolaise. Hi Bob! What is Atari doing to get Developer Support for the Jaguar game system? Hi Eric, most of that information is covered by non- disclosure at this point. I can tell you that we have development units out, to a number of very talented software houses now. We've also had at least two developer conferences for Jaguar, one here and one in the UK. Both of them have been greeted with a great amount of enthusiasm by the developers and their publishers. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Scott Lapham has our next question, Bob. GA Scott. <[Scott L.] S.LAPHAM1> Bob. at the beginning of the conference, you said that the quality of the Falcons coming off the "new" line are much better than before. My question is are any of those units off the first line going to be sold? And if so, how would one tell if you bought a Falcon if it was off the first line or second? GA Scott, the units *_have_* been sold. They are already out the door in Germany. As long as you don't try to mail order one from Deutchland, you shouldn't have to worry about. it. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks Scott. Next is Robb Albright. <[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> Bob, I hear that the deal with Ingram Micro (Distributor) has been tabled, and that Atari plans direct marketing for the first push for Falcon. Are there any deals set with larger chains to carry the Falcon, or any planned, and if not, what will be the way that thousands can get their hands on one?? ga Gee, Robb. That's new to me. Might I enquire what your source is for that information? <[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> A local developer said he got this from Bill Rehbock about a month ago. ga Well, Robb, Thanks for bringing this rumor to the light of day. I appreciate the opportunity to dispel this type of disinformation at the earliest possible time. We have a number of different arrangements working for Falcon distribution, and I'm confident that the thousands of people that want to have Atari Falcon030s will be able to get them. Regardless of what you're un- named local developer might have suggested to you. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks for clarifying that Bob. Next we have I.DUCKETT... welcome. <[Evil E] I.DUCKETT.> How will the release of the Falcon help, The STE user? GA I see why your nickname is Evil. How did the release of the Quadra help the Mac? How did the release of the 486 help the 386? The answer to that is it gives the STE user a higher quality machine to upgrade to that retains a high degree of software compatibility that protects your investment in software. Does it mean that the STE is obsolete? No. It does mean that you can upgrade to a newer, more powerful machine and not have to lose your investment in Atari and Atari related products. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Good answer Bob. BTW folks... I have been using Atari Works on my ST and STE... runs great. Next we have Steve Miller. GA Steve.. <[Steve] S.MILLER58> Hi, I am a somewhat digruntled TT owner who has been an atari owner aince the ole 400 and this my question where is the TT going to be when the Falcon _finally_ makes its appearance? Is the 68030 going to be supported on both systems or will the TT be a fluke machine here in the US sticking me with $6000 worth of unsup. hardware? and if the TT is going to be 'supported' when is the software going to be there to take advantage of he 68030 and the math co?????? The TT030 will continue to be a high end, powerful workstation even when the Falcon030 makes it's appearance NEXT MONTH here in the US. The 68030 will continue to be support on both systems. There are products already that take advantage of the 68030 and the FPU, like DynaCadd, all Lexicor products, and Calamus SL. In addition to those products, there are other things like PageStream and Touch Up that are very happy on a TT030, especially when they have a graphics card installed in it, like an AlberTT card, a Crazy Dots board, or a Matrix card. I've also seen an goodly number of Musicians that are happy with their TT030s, and development tools like Lattice C 5.5 that have 030 libraries and FPU libraries. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Thank you Steve. T.WILSON is next, Bob. <[Dark.Oak.Sof] T.WILSON14> Are we going to see more guidelines from Atari on building apps for MultiTOS? I'm writing a multi-tos Zmodem program and was wondering if I should make it with GDOS, clipboard support, or would a simple .ttp CLI-callable be ok? Are you a registered developer, Tim? Our last developer newsletter had an article on user interface guidelines. <[Dark.Oak.Sof] T.WILSON14> I can't afford it at the moment, I'm using net knowledge. Net knowledge is a little too far from the source, and I urge you to register as a developer at the earliest possible time. We provide a good deal of documentation to the developers as a portion of the MultiTOS distribution packet. Right now, that is only available to registered developers, and most of the support is done online, in our Atari.RSC area here on GEnie. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Mike McFee from Pittsburg, California is next Bob. BOB when will MultiTOS be out for the TT if at all? Hi Mike, it will be released for all Atari Computers, as I THINK I indicated in my last conference. :) As I indicated in my opening remarks tonight, we're still having discussions regarding the distribution method to be used with MultiTOS. I remain a staunch proponent of the "upload it and let nature take it's course" stance, but cannot guarantee that we'll be doing that. The product is done, we just have decisions to make now. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> I have a little surprise for everyone... we have a free one year subscription to EXPLORER to give away. Then Scott Lapham will have the next question. Here goes a roll of the dice.... <[Lou] ST.LOU> Job 24... you win! Dorothy!!!! It's not a fix, I swear it is not a rigged deal you guys!!!! <[Lou] ST.LOU> Dorothy is the winner! Dot... any words? ;-) Thank you, thank you! Maybe this subscription will actually arrive at my door! My other one hasn't. ;-) And I've been so interested to see how the new staff is coming! So thank you very, very much! <[Lou] ST.LOU> Next we have Scott Lapham.... <[Scott L.] S.LAPHAM1> Bob, have you heard any new news on any products that will allow the SLM lasers to work on the Falcon?? GA <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob says he has another subscription to give away folks. Right after this answer. Scott, sorry for the delay, was sending. :) Yes, I have. There is a company that is working on this product, and we have discussions scheduled with them this next week to ensure that it WILL BE DONE, and users of SLM series laser printers will be able to use it with the Atari Falcon030. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> OK... here goes another roll of the dice.... Job 15... Chuck Haines is the winner of a free one year subscription to Explorer! Congratulations. Any comments Chuck? Chuck is speechless! Does anyone (if so who?) make a VME RAM board that can be used with the Mega STE? Thanks! GA <[Lou] ST.LOU> Folks, there are only two in the queue. This is a good time to /raise if you have a question. Erik, I'm not aware of any such ram board. I've heard that they do exist on the VME bus, but don't think that the software exists to make our system aware of the ram once such a board has been installed. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Next is Robb Albright. <[Robb] R.ALBRIGHT7> Bob, any announcements of terrific, *BLOW-EM- AWAY*, mind boggling games that will be released for the Falcon. Either planned or set-in stone. ga Robb, there are about 35 games that are being developed for... the Atari Falcon030. Most of them are better than anything... that I have seen on any other computer game anywhere. And for that matter, better than most of the console games, too. We covered that in an edition of Atari Explorer Online a coule oops Couple of weeks ago, when we had a review of them from Andreas Barbiero when he came over to the office and sat down with a Falcon030, and one of those really cool joysticks for about oh...three hours or so. :) In particular, the sound is dramatically better than any other system that I've heard. I'm sure that we'll be able to convince Andreas to come back to the office again, to write a few more lines about Falcon gaming without too much arm twisting...at least until it's time for him to leave the office. :) ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Steve Miller is back with another question for you, Bob. Oh, and thanks, Robb. <[Steve] S.MILLER58> Is the Atari community ever going to be tightened between us and Europe so that when new and interesting software/hardware comes out there, we can take advantage of it here? It seem as if we always have to wait for A LONG time for it to trickle down to us. GA Steve, much of that depends on distribution arrangements. Some of the developers don't like to have to support their products overseas, or mess around with translations. I know that some of the German developers have a hard time with the needs of the US users, as they have a particular view on things like users interface. :) But we are working on those arrangements, and I expect that you will be pleased with the way that things are going to turn out. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> I Duckett has another question too. <[Evil E] I.DUCKETT.> Is there any way I can get info on the Falcon here in New York and support for all Atari system in my area? Regarding info on the Falcon030, there is a wealth of info in the Atari BB area right here on GEnie. We've posted a HUGE amount of information in a number of conferences, and in the BB message area itself. I'd suggest that you look at those files first. After that, I'd suggest one of the high quality mags that are out in the marketplace, like our own Atari Explorer Magazine or the equally wonderful AtariUser Magazine. Both of them do a excellent job of being factual in their reporting. And of course, be sure to check the weekly issues of Z*Net Online Magazine, which is also uploaded here weekly in the Atari Roundtable. We upload our own online magazine, Atari Explorer Online Magazine here bi-weekly. That should give you plenty of reading material about the Falcon030. As far as support goes, why don't you send me e-mail with your specific questions and I'll be happy to deal with them personally rather than tie things up here any longer tonight. :) ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> I.Duckett... I suggest you use FEEDBACK and you will get lots of help from my fellow sysops! ;-) Next we have Joe Torres, then Bob Frazier, Mike Allen and Andreas Barbiero. <[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> (Let me just put down my LYNX - Pinball Jam :> ) Does SPEEDOGDOS support a wider range of printers than FontGDOS does/did? I have a Panasonic KXP1142pi printer and was basically told by tech-support 'tough luck' SpeedoGDOS has support for the following printers at this point.. Atari Laser printer, SMM-804, Canon Bubble Jet 10e, Epson FX-80. Epson LQ-570, HP PaintJet, DeskJet 500, HP LaserJet, NEC P Series Okimate 20, Star NB24-15, Star NX-1000, and of course, STraight Fax as well. :) You should be able to use the Epson LQ-570 driver with your unit. Just be sure that you have the dip switche in the Epson emulation mode. Have you tried that yet? Most of the time you have to have the printer off when you change the switches, and then re-start it. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Thanks... now fellow sysop and RTC Shotgun ... Mike Allen Bob - I wonder if the SpeedoGDOS/Works combo is going to be available through Atari dealers in the near future? I'd really like to support my local dealer. Also I still have to disagree about the Mega STe. I really feel that it is a product that suffered from improper marketing. A good product that no one outside of the Atari user community knew about. ga. Mike, I respect your opinion about the Mega STE, and share it. However, I don't own enough stock to change the decisions on that type of issue, and have to rely upon my persuasive ability from time to time on those matters. I think that part of the reason that the Mega STE didn't get a better "shove" is because the Falcon030 was expected sooner that this time frame. Now, re the shipments of Atari Works/SpeedoGDOS, the manuals are.. being done now, I suspect that it will be in the March time frame as well. Not two weeks, but likely six weeks at the max. I'm still twisting a few arms here on a couple of points about Atari Works, like allowing the importation of IMG files as well as just GEM files. If we can have that added, I think it's worth a little delay in shipping the product. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Andreas has been waiting very patiently :-) GA <[Andreas@AEO] AEO.2> Bob, I have been inundated by info from NAMM, and while I might have missed something due to bad phone lines earlier tonite on it, I was wondering if you could comment further on the FEEDING frenzy that went on with the new dealers? Andreas, the timing for NAMM was excellent for us. The write ups in Keyboard, Electronic Musician, and EQ Magazine are very exciting, and it appeared that most of the show attendees had read the magazines. :) We got a large number of dealers that are very interested in the Falcon from NAMM, and expect even more <[Lou] ST.LOU> Joe has the last question... unless I missed someone's /RAI ? GA Joe Torres... <[STimpy!] J.TORRES17> I am concerned about the apparent throw away memory boards on the Falcon... The fact that you have either a 1, 4 OR 14 meg board. Why not a user expandable version (I would eventually like a 14 meg... GA Joe, there is simply not enough real estate for that to happen via a normal/conventional means like your basic throw away SIMMS . What is going to happen with the Falcon030 is the same thing that happened with the STE and Mega STE. People will buy bigger supplies of RAM, and try to sell or trade in their old memory units. Dealers will capitalize on this to have a ready source of ram available. There are already other developers that have announced plans for third party memory boards. For example, Zubair will have a board as well. However, it will not use SIMMS either. There is simply not enough room SIMMS in the Falcon case. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... two more questions and then a wrap... OK? First J.VOGH then John Stanley. GA J.VOGH. What about PC boards for the Falcon? What is the staus of 468 emulation? Oh, that. Had me worried for a second there. As we reported in our online magazine, Atari Explorer Online at COMDEX, COMPO Software is working on a 486 board. I was personally assured by the company president, Theo Bruers, that the product would be done in March. It is to support the full VGA Color, etc, etc, etc. Although I recognize that having such an item is attractive to some people, I think that you will find that products like Atari Works will make you much less inclined to have to sully your machine with MS-DOS. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... last question from John Stanley... <[John STanley] JLS> I got here late so this may have already been asked. What's the current eta for MultiTOS? (Ballpark estimates... 2 days, 2 weeks, 2 months, 2 __??__) ga You're right, it was already answered...:) It's done, and will be shipping with Falcons. We're still discussing internally here how we want to handle the distribution of the product to the existing user base. I guess the answer from most perspective will be 2 long. :) BTW, you also missed the drawings for free subscriptions to Atari Explorer, too! :) ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... my local dealer wants to order 50 packages of Atari Works. Please tell me what he needs to do and can it be ordered directly from Atari by the individual user? Gee, Lou, he must have been really impressed with it! <[Lou] ST.LOU> All I did was tell him about my beta copy! At this point, he can't. But we'll be making our dealers aware of all the pricing on Atari Works as soon as possible. The manual will probably be inserted here in the US in the Falcons at this point. It will be available via the normal sources, both directly from Atari, and from our distributors as well. ga <[Lou] ST.LOU> Bob... what can I say.... I am really excited and can't bear the thought of a few more weeks. Let's hope that our next Dateline Atari! has some real shipping dates. Thank you once again for such a terrific evening. GA Thanks, Lou. As always, it's a pleasure to be online here on our official online resource, GEnie. Thanks to everyone for taking the time to be here tonight, and I hope that you got a little bit better feel for how things are progressing. In our next issue of Atari Explorer Online Magazine, we'll be featuring a preview of Atari Works, including screenshots of the program. It'll be up here in the libraries in about a week for you to download. Thanks again for attending!! --==--==--==--==-- ||| ||| GEnie Atari ST RoundTable News / | \ Courtesy: GEnie ------------------------------ Atari Roundtable Weekly News 2.2 = DARLAH'S TREAT = NEWS FLASH - NEW TREAT!!! Option 9 on PAGE 475 This package contains the two programs, DigiPlay Plus 1.8 and ANSITerm version 1.9. DigiPlay Plus is a digital sound player/editor with the ability to add sound effects like echo. ANSITerm is a 16-color 80-column fully ANSI compatible terminal with blinking and file transfer abilities (X/Y/Zmodem, Ymodem-G and Batch). Both programs are fully STe/TT compatible and require a color monitor. Note: The various download protocols are supported by using Alan Hamilton's XYZ.TTP which is included in this file. SPECIAL VALENTINE'S TREAT II!!! Option 10 on PAGE 475 NEW VERSION of CYBERDROME 1.1 DEMO! --- The Hoverjet Simulator by Rhea-FX and Fair Dinkum Technologies. Cyberdrome combines the realism of a real-time low-level flight simulator with the maze exploration of an adventure game. The demo also supports a 2-player/2-computer mode. Minimum 1Mb RAM and color monitor required. ST, STE and *TT* compatible! = REALTIME CONFERENCES = Feb 17 - CODEHEADS LIVE in Conference!! The CODEHEADS!!! (Wed.) Join Charles and John for this exciting RTC!!!! If you don't know who the CODEHEADS are then you are in the wrong RT!! Think of MultiDesk Deluxe, Hotwire, Maxifile, Codekeys, Calligrapher, Warp 9 and Midi Spy just to name a few. Come in and chat with two of your favourite developers. If you are new to ATARI then these are the people to talk with regarding useful products. = Scheduled Wednesday RTC Guests = Have an idea for an Realtime Conference? Wish to promote a product, show or service? Atari Roundtable Realtime Conference provides an excellent platform for announcements and discussions. Contact RTC$, for requirements and information on holding formal RTCs. We also capture and edit the formal conferences and uploads them into the Atari RT's Library for you. = Monday Realtime Conference = Stop in for Monday's Desktop Publishing Realtime Conferences. Hosted by Lou Rocha with regular guests dealing with all aspects of DTP and associated topics. = Atari ST Help Desk = Atari ST Roundtable holds a Sunday Help Desk to answer your questions on GEnie, Atari ST Roundtable and the line of Atari computers. Stop in and ask questions or just visit the Atari RT staff and users. The Help Desk starts at 9:00 pm EST Sunday on page 475;2. = RTC Transcripts = -------------------------------------------------- 27614 BRODIE5.ARC X ST.LOU 930206 16896 486 13 Desc: Brodie RTC Transcript Feb 1993 27339 IAAD_RTC.ARC X BRIAN.H 930115 17152 139 13 Desc: IAAD RTC 13 Jan 93 27268 BRODIE4.ARC X ST.LOU 930109 17152 684 13 Desc: Falcon 030 and Software News! -------------------------------------------------- For Realtime Conference inquires and comments contact: RTC$ = LIBRARY = Last Week's Top Downloaded Programs/Utilities: --------------------------------------------------- 27568 CENTPED.LZH X GRMEYER 930202 92416 272 8 Desc: awesome version of Centipede 27506 SERFX20.LZH X BPENNER 930130 10880 268 2 Desc: Serial Fix 2.0 Serial port patch 27557 SAVERS12.LZH X J.DILLENBURG 930201 71936 222 21 Desc: 6 Warp 9 screen savers 27634 MANDALA.LZH X J.EIDSVOOG1 930207 5120 177 2 Desc: Kaleidoscopic Extend-O-Save Module 27623 LEGAL.LZH X J.SCHWARTZ18 930206 45056 143 6 Desc: 80 forms RE:Business, contracts, etc 27530 TLCFORM3.LZH X T.HAYSLETT 930131 21248 143 2 Desc: FAST Read and Write format; 1.44 too 27618 FREEFL12.LZH X F.KOCH 930206 2176 127 7 Desc: Download Free Files Aladdin Script 27611 VIRT_REA.ARC X A.HAJNAL 930206 25344 126 28 Desc: Virtual Reality House Tour 27513 ALVIN.LZH X REALM 930130 27776 115 2 Desc: Converts measurements,fractions too! 27516 ALADSH03.ZIP X T.WRATHER 930130 23424 110 2 Desc: Ver 0.3 of Aladdin file searcher --------------------------------------------------- Last Week's New Demos: --------------------------------------------------- 27636 SOLUTION.LZH X P.DUBE 930207 233856 6 10 Desc: Solutions demo, mathematics software 27609 MULTIWTR.DOC X BPENNER 930205 3200 131 10 Desc: PRESS RELEASE for new MultiWriter 27608 MTW_DEMO.LZH X BPENNER 930205 76672 79 10 Desc: STWRITER USERS - MultiWriter Demo 27529 MOUSEBT4.ZIP X P.LEFEBVRE 930131 54528 52 10 Desc: Mouse Boot IV demo 27520 PIANODEM.LZH X J.COLLINS22 930131 53504 87 10 Desc: DEMO version of Pianistics 1.10 27514 RUNME1ST.LZH X CYBERCUBE 930130 30464 24 10 Desc: CyReL M16-1280 Install Program --------------------------------------------------- Last Week's Press Releases in the Library --------------------------------------------------- 27648 SHOWINFO.LZH X B.WELSCH 930209 3712 3 14 Desc: Kansas City AtariFest vendor pak 27647 SHOWINFO.ASC X B.WELSCH 930209 1536 7 14 Desc: Kansas City AtariFest Press Release 27640 TOAD0208.LZH X TOAD-SERV. 930208 10496 118 14 Desc: SPECIALS/News from Toad Computers! 27639 TOADBBS.TXT X TOAD-SERV. 930208 1664 30 14 Desc: NEW Toad Computers STraight FAX BBS! 27615 SACEXPO4.ASC X M.WARNER8 930206 7040 70 14 Desc: Vendor/Developer List 27604 CTSWAPEX.TXT X D.FINCH7 930205 5376 13 14 Desc: More on exhibitors at CT swapmeet 27598 GLEAFNAM.ARC X WORDFLAIR 930204 2944 45 14 Desc: Goldleaf's activities at NAMM 27576 BAGGETTA.TXT (CT_SWAP) X D.FINCH7 930203 3200 25 14 Desc: Press Rel. re Connecticut Atari Show 27565 CT_SWAP.TXT X D.FINCH7 930202 2432 25 14 Desc: Press Rel. re Connecticut Atari Show --------------------------------------------------- Contact: LIBRARY$ = COMMENTS = You are free to use anything in this brief but files and Bulletin Board quotes must be made in accordance to Atari ST Roundtables, Atari Corporation and GEnie policies. Feel free to contact me on any questions, comments or suggestions. John G. Hartman [J.G.H.] Atari Roundtable, PR Sysop --==--==--==--==-- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- --==--==-- GEnie Sign-Up Information --==--==-- -- -- -- -- 1. Set your communications software for half duplex (local echo) -- -- at 300, 1200, or 2400 baud. -- -- -- -- 2. Dial toll free: 1-800-638-8369 (or in Canada, 1-800-387-8330). -- -- Upon connection, enter HHH. -- -- -- -- 3. At the U# prompt, enter XTX99436,GENIE then press . -- -- -- -- 4. Have a major credit card ready. In the U.S., you may also use -- -- your checking account number. -- -- -- -- For more information in the United States or Canada, call 1-800- -- -- 638-9636 or write: GEnie, c/o GE Information Services, P.O. Box -- -- 6403, Rockville, MD 20850-1785. -- -- -- -- --==--==-- Atari's Official On-line Resource! --==--==-- -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --==--==--==--==-- ||| AEO Calendar of Events ||| Compiled by: Lyre / | \ GEnie: AEO.3 ------------------------ Looking for the latest Atari event taking place in your neck of the woods? Well, look no further! Here are all of the events that will be attended by Atari Corp and/or Atari User Groups - including important conferences held on the various online networks. Although all material is factual, keep in mind that this information is subject to change without notice. We will, of course, keep you aware of any changes that are announced. If your group, or one you know of, is sponsoring a user show, leave me a note on GEnie and I'll include you in the listing! //// Sacremento Atari Computer Exposition March 13-14, 1993 The Sacremento Atari ST Users Group (SST) is proud to sponsor the Sacremento Atari Computer Exposition (SAC EXPO) at the famous Towe Ford Museum in Sacremento, California. The Towe Ford museum is famous for the largest collection of antique Ford automobiles. But there is more then just a car collection! The special events area - where the SAC EXPO is to be held - is a part of the Alhambra Theatre replica; destroyed in 1973, a replica of the exterior and forecourt was built here and houses a Wurlitzer pipe organ donated by the estate of Cecil B. de Mille. Saturday the 13th, at 10am, Sacremento celebrity Matias Bombal will be the master of ceremonies at the Grand Opening ribbon cutting ceremony. Famed organist Dave "Vox" Mereno will start off the show with some tunes on the Wurlitzer. Some other "famous" attendees include Barefoot Software, San Jose Computer, Codehead Technologies, STeve's Software, Oregon Research, ST Informer Magazine, Cottonwood Computer, Safari Fonts, B & C Computervision, Marcel Software of California, Branch Always Software / Purple Mountain Computer, A & D Software, Compo Software and the SST users group will have their own booth. The show will be spread out through several areas of the museum and free admission to wander through the antique car displays is included with the show. So come down and see the capital of the wild west with all of its historic atmosphere. Tickets are $6 for a single day, $10 for both days. The museum is located at the intersection of Interstates 5 and 80, just 15 minutes from the Sacramento Metropolitan Airport. For more information or advance ticket purchase (with a free $5 discount coupon for purchases from STeve's Software), contact Nick Langdon (Vendor Coordinator) C/O SST, P.O. Box 214892, Sacramento, CA 95821-0892, phone (916) 723-6425. For travel arrangements or hotel accomodations, contact Mark or Del at Sports Leisure Travel (800) 321-4758. Online via GEnie, contact Mark Warner at M.WARNER8. Alternately, you may contact the ST-Keep BBS (SST) at (916) 729-2968. //// PACS March 20, 1993 For those living in the Philadelphia, PA area, the PACS group is sponsoring the Computer Festival at the Drexel University Main Building on the corner of 32nd and Chestnut Streets between 9am and 4pm. Although a multi-platform show (in its 16th year), Atari computers will be represented by NEAT, CDACC and JACS user groups. For more information, call (215) 951-1255. Or to arrange for a booth, contact for Atari display: Alice P. Christie, 207 Pontiac Street, Lester, PA 19029. Alternately, by phone, call (215) 521-2569. //// CT AtariFest '93 June 12-13, 1993 The Connecticut AtariFest was such a rousing success last year that it has been moved to the Windsor Court Hotel in Windsor, CT. This major northeast computer event is once again being sponsored by ACT - an umbrella organization consisting of Atari user groups in Connecticut. Although the show has moved from last year's location, it is only a mile away. Yet it is still convenient to I-80, I-84, I-90, I-91 and I-95 and to Bradly International Airport. Windsor Court Hotel offers an excellent room rate of $35.00 per room. Otherwise, all prices remain the same as last year. However, vendor booths will be almost 50% larger! Additional floor space, free parking, more vendors and alternative activities for family members are available (a craft fair and consumer electronics show are running concurrently). Already, commitments from A&D Software, Gribnif Software, Barefoot Software, Toad Computers, Computer Studio, Baggetaware, Derric Electronics, E.Hartford Computer Repair, Wizztronics, and GFA Software Technology have been made. There are other vendors making inquiries also. Last year there was fourteen user groups in attendance, we expect even more for this year's show. Come and see a Falcon030 at the show. For further information, call Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 or Doug Finch at 203-637-1034. //// Kansas City AtariFest '93 June 26-27, 1993 <<[[ New Date ]]>> Join the members of the Kansas City Atari Connection for their first major Atari show at the Stadium Inn, 7901 E 40 Highway, Kansas City, Missouri. The show date, which conflicted with two other shows, has been changed - please make a note of the new date. Advance ticket are $4.00 per day or tickets may be purchased at the the door at $5.00 per day. Attend the show and visit the commercial developers: Cali-Co Software, ICD, MissionWare Software, Fair-Dinkum Software, Systems For Tomorrow, New Dimensions Computer Center, Compu-Seller West, ChroMagic Software, Paul's Software, CodeHead Technologies, Clear Thinking Software, SKWare, Electronic Spinster Graphics and many others. For advance tickets, please send payment to: Kansas City AtariFest, P.O. Box 1653, Lee Summit, MO 64063. User groups may request a User Group Information Package. To make room reservations please call (800) 325-7901. If you will be arriving by plane, you may call (800) 874-7691 and a local travel agent will arrange a special airfare rate for those wishing to attend the show. For more information, you may leave inquiries on GEnie to B.WELSCH, B.FRAZIER2 or J.KRZYSZTOW. On CompuServe, contact Jeff Krzysztow at 74027,707. On Delphi, contact BOBTROW. Or you can call (816) 224-9021, or send mail inquiries to the post office address listed above. //// The Glendale Show September 18-19, 1993 The Southern California Atari Computer Faire, version 7.0 takes place in Los Angeles, California. The largest domestic event for Atari computer enthusiasts for the last several years, many developers and vendors attend to show off their latest products. For more information, contact John King Tarpinian (of the HACKS user group) at (818) 246-7286. //// COMDEX November 15-19, 1993 This industry-wide computer show occurs in Las Vegas, Nevada each year. More info as it becomes available. --==--==--==--==-- ||| Andreas' Den ............... Atari Falcon030 spotting on the telly. ||| By: Andreas Barbiero / | \ Delphi: ABARBIERO GEnie: AEO.2 ------------------------------------------------------------------- There is a great deal of news being made in the World Atari this month, the least of which is the US Atari Falcon030 arrival in March with MultiTOS! But the Atari Falcon030 is getting some prime time attention from the rest of the world. Not only was NAMM a major sucess, but in the UK, TV and print coverage continues. The Lynx is being pushed heavily also in the UK with a advertizing campaign on the back of Kelloggs cereal boxes of all things. Here's a few messages discussing all of this. >From: evilandi@vnet.ibm.com (Andrew Oakley) >Date: Thu, 21 Jan 93 11:36:27 GMT >Subject: More Atari ST stuff on British TV >Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st The UK commercial teletext system "Teletext On 3", broadcast on the commercial network TV channel ITV, this week decided to drop its refusal to publish ST-related items. The "Digitiser" section, which runs from pages 370-379, mainly concerns itself with games reviews, hints & tips, but there is quite often a look at the technology behind the screens (pun intended). The response is apparently due to the number of letters received from UK ST enthusiasts. The Children's ITV programme "Bad Influence" has been subject to a similar campaign, with presenter Andy Crane remarking in several programmes about the number of letters received asking for more Atari coverage. "Bad Influence" featured a preview of the Falcon some weeks back, with Andy demonstrating its sampling and graphics capabilities. He showed how a microphone could be plugged *directly* into the Falcon, and used a German program to record and effect-process his speech, followed by a slideshow and an animation of a bird. Andy seemed to have very positive thoughts about the Falcon, and seemed to believe it was going to be the next *big* home computer. The ST has also been featured several times on the Channel 4 programme "Gamesmaster". Andrew Oakley (JANET: ) IBM Warwick, UK (I speak FROM IBM, not FOR IBM) UK Tel. 0926 464830 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Evil Andi of GOTHIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE: Computing for the culture-shocked Budgie UK titles: Ballpark, Flipped & Square Off Shareware titles: ST-Zine Disk Mag Kit, Quiz Construction Kit & others ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >From: cstadbs@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr P M Donovan) >Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st >Subject: Falcon on TV again >Date: 22 Jan 1993 16:09:33 -0000 >Organization: Computing Services, University of Warwick, UK Atari UK really do seem to be pushing the Falcon here in the UK. They have been taking it to the directors of the popular computer games programs with a view to getting it shown on the programs. Someone has already reported the review of the Falcon on the program 'Bad Influence', where they showed ray-traced animations and the excellent 16-bit sampling. The Falcon was on TV again last night, on the Channel 4 program 'Gamesmaster' This program consists of kids and celebrities competing on different games, but they also have reviews and special features. Last night they had a feature on the new 32-bit machines, namely the Falcon, the Acorn A3010 and the Commodore A1200. They had a spokesman from each of the companies talking about their new machines. Atari were shown first and Commodore last! The demonstrations of the machines were a bit hard to see because they were shown behind the spokeman, but the Falcon looked very inpressive. The demo was a ray-traced animation of a colourful cartoon-style bird walking along a pavement(sidewalk). The bird was held in the centre of the screen, and the pavement and wall behind were scrolled along in an isometric view giving the impression that the bird was walking down the street. The guy from Atari also stressed the 16-bit recording and playback at 'better' than CD quality. The demo of the A1200 was just an ordinary looking Amiga game. It has also been reported that a new games program to be broadcast at 6:30 in the evening every weekday on the satellite channel Sky One may use a Falcon to run a game that viewers can play using touchtone phones. The Falcon is being considered because the DSP can be used to process the incoming calls from the contestants. So, it doesn't look at all bad here in the UK at the moment in terms of marketing. Paul Donovan cstadbs@csv.warwick.ac.uk Many developers have their Atari Falcon030, and have had them for quite some time now, and while some of them have been highly publicized, it seems that all the bad vibes are gone and ALL levels of developers have them! Several UK magazines report dozens of new games and applications being developed over there, as well as new titles for the ST. Recently reviewed were Street Fighter II, Lethal Weapon, Elite 2 (with autodocking!!!!), Daemonsgate- Donovan's Key, Lemmings 2, Legends of Valour, (this one is really neat, you see your customized character's face on wanted posters, and have smooth scrolling everywhere!) Reach for the Skies (from Rowan, a great WW2 British flight sim) and WWF2. (wrestling!) Next issue, I should have a review of ISHAR, its been out for a bit, but a view backwards to see how it stands up with all the new competition around is in order! Here in the US it is not so glum either... Lexicor should have some more exciting software for us, and I will be reviewing the Atari Falcon030 specific software soon. Here is an example of how far the Atari Falcon030s have penetrated into the developer market. >From: grier@bnr.ca (Brian Grier) >Subject: Falcon Sighting (Developer Unit) in NH >Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 15:07:08 GMT >Organization: Bell Northern Research I recently received a couple phone calls from members of the ST group I used to belong to in New Hampshire. The Falcon had been demonstrated at the monthly meeting and needless to say every I spoke with was extremely impressed. Frank Palowski, creator of OutBurST, demonstrated his FALCON 030 to the Nashua Area ST Users Society, NASTUS. Frank demonstrated the bundled software and a few of ST programs. The two people I spoke with were amazed at the performance. One of the people I spoke with owns a TT with 4meg of ST ram and said he felt the Falcon was the equivalent of his TT, running PageStream in 640x480 with 16 colours. Franks system has 14mb/65megHd. Frank did not demonstrate Multi-Tos, no reason given. From what I know of 68030 implementations and what I've read here, and from Atari on the Falcon, the performance reports are about what I expected. Another good sign is that developers like Frank have Falcons. There have been lots of complaints, here and on GEnie, about developers not being able to get Falcons. Brian, WS1S (ST/TT User) Bell Northern Research Research Triangle Park, NC From the Delphi Atari Forum - if you liked Empire, the multiplayer air/land/sea global warfare game, you will want to read this! 47771 31-JAN 11:57 Games & Entertainment Empire Deluxe!! From: AMWILLIAMS To: ALL Finally Empire 2 (Deluxe) is here! But not for the Atari. I called New World Computing (800-325-8898) and asked if there where plans to bring it out on non-Dos platfroms. They may release an Amiga version in the near future but when I asked about my beloved ST there was a long pause followed by "we have no plans to issue an Atari version" (well at least she knew the ST is an Atari product). I would to see an Atari version and would buy it at any cost. as a matter of fact I ordered the PC varsion and will get the Amiga one when it comes out so I'm not writing this for myself, I just don't what to see another peice of software go by with joining the fight so heres the number(800-325-8898) call if you care and list the numbers and names for other software we desire I'll support you if you'll support yourself. (Message is courtesy of Gordon Meyer, Co-sysop of the Delphi Atari Advantage SIG) --==--==--==--==-- ||| The Great Connecticut Trading Fair ||| By: Lyre / | \ GEnie: AEO.3 ------------------- February 6 - Stamford, CT Ah, Saturday February 6th - the day of the Great Connecticut Trading Fair. A day I had been looking forward to as it drew nearer. It was finally here. I "woke up, jumped out bed, dragged a comb across my head" and noticed that there was snow all over the place! (Yeah, right. _Real_ snow.) Uh oh, I thought is the Fair still on? Well, I had no time to inquire because my ride down to Bridgeport was leaving so I jumped into their car and took off. But it got even worse. Bridgeport had more snow, the roads were slippery with ice and the wind was vicious. Arriving at the Bridgeport Train Station, I found to my dismay that I had not taken the phone number for St. Benedict's in Stamford. With the train coming in a few minutes I knew I couldn't call information and obtain the number. I decided to risk it all and grab the train to Stamford anyway. And I am glad that I did. When I arrived in Stamford, I called St. Benedict's and found out that the Fair was indeed taking place. Taking a taxi, I arrived at the Fair in about 10 minutes. I asked the cabbie how business had been for the day and he responded by telling me "Great!" This was a bad thing. You see, in bad weather any kind of show is affected. People don't really want to go wandering the streets when things are miserable out. And one good way to gauge the impact the weather will have is to see how a cabbie's business has been for the day. The better their day, the worse it is for the show. But the Fair did okay. Upon arriving and paying the four dollar cover charge, I found out their were already forty attendees. Since it was only 45 minutes after the show had started and considering the weather, this was pretty good. While the Fair was not a huge show, it was not meant as a replacement for the CT AtariFest. CT AtariFest is a developer's, distributor's and retailer's show. The Trading Fair was meant to be a way for users to get together, sell each other some hardware and software, and have some fun without any sales pressure. You know, look for old programs that you did not purchase but now found that you needed. Clear out some of the programs you no longer need. That sort of a show. In that respect, I personally think it was a success. I had not been able to attend the CT AtariFest '92, so the Trading Fair allowed me to pick up a few things and talk to some people. I had a lot of fun. I ran over to Gribnif and immediately purchased XBoot and CardFile. Then Dan Wilga treated me to a demonstration of the latest version of NeoDesk (yet another program I have to update). Having purchased these programs, I decided that I had better take a look at some of the other offerings before I purchased anything else from them. After all, I hate finding out that I missed a program I had been looking for for a long time, simply because I spent all my money at one booth. So I wandered the floor looking at BagettaWare's products, Derrick Electronic's offerings, the Central CT user groups table and several more. But ummmm, I've forgotten their names. Anyway, I found out that Derrick Electronics has a lot of Antic software - anyone looking for Antic software that is no longer available might want to inquire with them. While they might not have it, the chances are pretty good that they will. After all, I was able to find a copy of Genesis - The Molecular Modeler from Antic. Genesis wasn't available from Antic before its demise so you can just imagine my pleasure at finding this program - still in its shrinkwrap! I also picked up the diskettes for the Abacus GEM Programmer's Reference, ST Internals and 3D Graphics books. BagettaWare had all of their ElieMouse offerings. I was desperately tempted to purchase them for my nephew. However, I call my nephew "Monster Tom" for a reason - he's pretty darn active. Heck, he _already_ wants a "puter" like "Unka Itcher." The only problem is that he hasn't even turned 4 yet! And I don't dare allow him to use my Mega since I work on it. But in the near future I will definitely take another look at ElieMouse for him. First I need to acquire another computer. There were also some users selling their 8 bit products - including a lot of programs and books. A gentleman from a store in Danbury, CT was providing information and demonstrations of how the Atari and MIDI operate hand in hand. He had some great tunes going and lots of people stopped by to make inquiries with him. However, I couldn't look. Really. If I got hooked on MIDI I would probably be arrested for Disturbing the Peace. I'm tone deaf and musically illiterate. Having seen the various offerings, I went back to the Gribnif booth and purchased Stalker and Steno. But not without some difficulty. You see, Rick Flashman wanted to sell me a Crazy Dots board (and I wanted to buy it) but it was outside of my price range. So he said that if I give him my Mega, he'd give me the Crazy Dots - but when I asked about where I would install it, Rick replied that was the catch! I offered him a friend's dead 520ST but he added a "Must be in working condition" clause. Drats! Next, Rick offered to sell me Convector and Arabesque and I would be given Stalker and Steno free. Despite the sales price of these programs (and due to my other purchases at the Fair) this deal was also outside of my wallet's capacity. Sigh. So I simply purchased Stalker and Steno and glanced longingly at Convector and Arabesque. It might not have been "the deal of the century" but it was a very good deal - and I couldn't take advantage of it. But Gribnif did inform me that they plan to be attending the CT AtariFest '93 (which will be bigger and better this year!) since it is their closest show. Maybe I'll inquire with Rick as to what deals he can offer me then.... ;) Oh, one last thing, I attended the Fair "incognito." I used my real name and did not inform anyone that I was "Lyre"; this only seems appropriate. After all, I am just another Atari Computer user and I don't really want special treatment or deals from the developers and distributors that are not available to other users. So when I attend events I do so quietly. Oh, a few people knew who I was, but only those few did - and most of them had set up the Fair. Well, that was my impression of the Connecticut Trading Fair. Now, as it is snowing and the wind is howling again, I have to stop reminiscing about the show and save this article from Steno. --==--==--==--==-- ||| A Beginner's Guide to UNIX and the Internet - Part 3 ||| By: Timothy Wilson / | \ Internet: WILSONT@RAHUL.NET GEnie: AEO.8 ---------------------------------------------------- A beginner's guide to UNIX, and the Internet. How it applies to the Atari world, and other tricks, tips, places, services, and files of interest. Chapter 3, Getting Gigabytes of neato files into your Atari. (provided you have gigabytes of hard drive space.. :) ) OK, now we get into the juicy stuff of the Internet. We'll be hopping from site to site, and grabbing those files. There's a UNIX thing called FTP - File Transfer Protocol. FTP is how machines can use the Internet to transfer binary (full 8 bits) of data around. (mail supports only 7 bits) Another thing we've discussed briefly is: telnet. Telnet is a UNIX command that lets you log into another machine on the Internet, just like you log into the UNIX machine you call locally. Note... it's not 'telenet', that's a packet switching service, and not a UNIX command. Oh yeah, as a quick diversion, there's some Internet lingo and abbreviations I'll go over. You probably have seen this stuff before on BBSes but maybe not. BTW: by the way IMHO: in my humble opinion IMNSHO: in my not so humble opinion IMO: in my opinion TLA: three letter acronym :-) sideways smiley face. usually means a joke. :-P smiley sticking his tongue out. X-I smiley is dead. >:-) evil grin smiley. O-I robot smiley. :) smaller smiley. :-/ sarcasm smiley. :-O Holy &^%#! smiley BRB be right back. MUD Multi-User Dungeon/Dimension B-) I got my sunglasses on. >B^) evil clown wearing sunglasses. IP A (numeric) address like 128.32.12.2 a.a. atari archive. archie: a site that collects directories of FTP sites. Fubar: F&%^$ up beyond all repair. CD compact disc :) Usenet: the news groups that travel the Internet. GB: galactic bloodshed (a multiplayer game on the net) C:-) I got a Elvis haircut smiley. :-( sniff sniff, I'm sad smiley. tar: a UNIX archive system. flame: sorta like hate mail, more of a nasty criticism. != not equals, its a C expression =) outdated smiley. That should be enough to get you started. Now, back to getting files. First we'll get a file from Atari archive, ls-lR.Z. "What the heck is that Tim!?" you're probably asking. Remember ls? the command that gives you a directory listing? Well if you have subdirectories, and you are at the top directory, you can type: --------------- unix% ls -lR --------------- which means, list in long form, Recursively through all directories. The .Z on the file, is a UNIX form of compression, I'll get to it soon. A quick note, please use 'ftp' at night! A lot of FTP sites (and the network in general) are busy during the day doing other things (school work etc..) So don't go wasting other peoples processor time. You'll find transfer rates are slower during the day too. (From UNIX site to UNIX site: the next topic.) OK. So get on your UNIX machine and type: -------------------------- unix% ftp atari.archive.umich.edu (You should get something like:) connected to terminator.cc.umich.edu. 220 Name (atari.archive.umich.edu:wilsont): (At this point type the word (lower case!): anonymous 331 Guest login ok, send email address as password (just type your mail address here, I would type, wilsont@rahul.net) -------------------------- You won't see anything echoed, its OK if you misspell, it's a courtesy to the FTP site to enter your name in. Now you might get a welcome message or something and then: ----- ftp> ----- We need to get to the atari area. Type: -------------- ftp> cd atari CWD command successful ftp> -------------- Now we are at atari archive! ALWAYS, after you login to a FTP site, type: -------------- ftp> bin Type set to BINARY. -------------- 'bin' means use a full 8 bits. If you don't type bin, all of your files will get the 7th bit chopped off, and your .arc files or .prg files won't work! You can 'ls', and 'cd' all you want and look around. But we're here to get a file to save us that time. return to the root ( cd /atari ), and now type: ------------- ftp> get ls-lR.Z < case sensitive! > Opening BINARY data connection for ls-lR.Z (120212 bytes) Command completed in 10.5 seconds (5.5kb/sec) ftp> -------------- The file, ls-lR.Z is now at your own UNIX site. Now type: --------------- ftp> bye 221 Goodbye Connection Closed by foreign host. UNIX% --------------- Great! You just got your first file! Before we can look at it, we have to decompress it. (like a arc or lzh file) type: ---------------------- unix% uncompress ls-lR ( the .Z isn't needed) unix% ---------------------- Now if you do an ls, you'll set something like: -------------- unix% ls /News /Mail ls-lR unix% --------------- We can now use 'less' or 'more' on it (or any editor) to look at the gobs of files on atari archive. Sometimes you wind up with a .tar file. To extract a .tar file, use: -------------- unix% tar -xf filename.tar -------------- Most tar files are compressed with the .Z extension, so uncompress them first. tar files usually contain directories and files. There is another file, called 0compind.Z that gives you a short description of each file as well. Also, in each directory or subdirectory (on Atari archive) there is a 0index file. It may be at the top of a directory, maybe not. Most sites have a 'Index', 'index' or 'contents' file somewhere, just look for it. The index files usually explain what all the files are/do/contain. OK. One more time, the process, with just our commands. ftp sitename anonymous mylogin@mysite bin (now you can do the following) cd (till you get to where you want) ls (to get a listing) dir (gives long listing) help ( gives ftp commands) help command name (gives you a quick rundown on that command) get filename (get one file from current directory) put filename (put a file from your UNIX directory into this ftp directory) mget filename filename filename.... (also works with wildcards) An example for atari archive: ftp atari.archive.umich.edu anonymous mylogin@mysite bin cd atari Then for example: cd Utilities get 0index Now for a UNIX trick. After the index is done transferring, press: ctrl-Z You'll see... ---------- transfer complete. ftp> ^Z unix% --------- We are still connected to the FTP site, but its kinda like on hold. Now do whatever you want (say... less 0index), and when you are done type: ---------- unix% fg ftp atari.archive.umich.edu ftp> ---------- fg means 'foreground', ctrl-Z is a universal UNIX keypress (like ctrl-R for redraw). Ctrl-Z suspends a program (or 'process' for UNIX) and shoves it into the 'background'. You'll be able to do this on your own programs with MultiTOS when it comes out, and you can do it already with MiNT. Also, if you don't return to the ftp site (with 'fg') quickly enough the ftp site might kick you off, it may be only 5 minutes, maybe less. Ctrl-Z is NOT how to log out quickly, it's just like putting someone on hold using the phone. If you're transferring a big file (1 meg or more) to shove the ftp into the background and let it run there, start the transfer, then 'shell out', as its called, with ctrl-Z. then type: ----------- unix% bg ----------- The ftp program is restarted, but you'll still have your UNIX prompt. The transfer continues, when the ftp site wants you again, you'll see something like... ---------- ftp atari.archive.umich.edu (stopped, tty output) ---------- ...pop up on your screen. This means that the background process tried to put something on your screen, but couldn't since it was in the background, out of sight. So now we would... --------- unix% fg ftp> --------- ...and get the ftp prompt back. Ctrl-Z works with just about anything! You can see all of your stopped and running programs with: --------- unix% jobs [1] - (stopped) ftp atari.archive.umich.edu [2] + (running) arc -x bigfile.arc & ---------- The '&' is a nifty suffix. As in the example... ----------- unix% arc -x bigfile.arc & ----------- ...would unarc the file in the background. Since ARC, LHARC and ZOO write a lot to the screen you could do this. (Remember redirection?) ----------- unix% zoo -x file.zoo >& zoo.out & ----------- This will put all of that zoo nonsense into a file called zoo.out and do all this in the background. If you know the name of a file, we can see if atari archive has it. try: ----------------- unix% grep word ls-lR ----------------- It will then list any line with the word 'word' in the file ls-lR Of course you can use this on anything. You could also try a pipe! (Remember those?) ----------------- unix% grep color Compindex | less ----------------- This puts all the lines from Compindex with 'color' in them into a page-by-page reader for you. Or try a long file, to a file in the background: -------------- unix% grep ferrari carindex.text > ferraris & -------------- 'grep' is really powerful - do a 'man grep' to find out more about it. That's one FTP site, there are hundreds more! There is an index called Archie that a few sites maintain. Let's try it out! --------------- unix% telnet archie.unl.edu (login as "archie" ) ---------------- You'll get a big opening screen and a prompt: ---------- archie> ---------- If you read the man pages on 'grep' you'll know how to use archie, but the command is: ----------- archie> prog regexp ----------- regexp= regular expression, the same type of stuff you can give grep. Examples are: ^word matches filenames and directories starting with 'word' word matches filenames and directories with 'word' anywhere in them w.rd would match 'ward', 'word', and 'werd', etc... any character can go in the place of the '?' Also you might try: ---------- archie> help ---------- After you enter a parameter, archie will try its darnest to find a match on the 100+ gigabytes on the Internet. a readout is shown, like... ( 23/ %56) ...means that %56 of the database has been searched and 23 so far have been found. At any time, press ctrl-C to stop archie, and show you what its has so far. To 'shell out' from a telnet connection, you can do this... (same timing rules apply, the remote site might kick you off if you're not actively doing stuff) ----------- ctrl- ] (bracket) ----------- Everytime you make a telnet connection, it will always tell you what the 'escape character is', that's not an "Esc" escape, its a telnet escape. After typing ctrl-] you'll get... --------- telnet> --------- ...now you can 'shell out' totally by ctrl-Z. When you 'fg' the process (telnet program), you'll be popped right back into the other computer... so it'll look like... --------- unix% fg telnet archie.unl.edu (press return again) archie> --------- ...now you should be able to find any file you want, and go out and get it... at least into your account... how about getting it into your Atari! use: sz filename filename filename .... or sb filename filename .... sx filename they are: sz "send zmodem" sb "send batch ymodem" sx "send xmodem" You're telling the UNIX machine to start sending, get it? Also, you can use rx, rb and rz to tell the UNIX machine to start receiving a file. Not all sites have all of these, so beware. My site only has sz/rz so I needed a zmodem protocol, (like xyz.ttp) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Internet Games!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yes, the Internet is full of multi-player games run by bored CS students with nothing to do on their $50,000 dollar workstations. Seriously though, there are lots of games out there: Muds, Galactic Bloodshed, Net trek, Xtank, Empire, Net hack, Megahunt etc.. Some require Xterminals, using X-windows (a UNIX GUI), some don't. Most all of these are multiplayer games, you can mail me if you'd like to know where to find them, but try the news groups first. (Discussed in the final chapter) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Chat Lines from hell! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= On the Internet, there is a thing called IRC, or Internet Relay Chat. It's a lot like a RoundTable conference on GEnie, or the CB simulator on CompuServe. (Just a lot cheaper.) To check it out, use: --------------- unix% irc nickname --------------- Replace 'nickname' with whatever you'd like your irc name to be. Once on, try the commands (slash required!): /list (shows channels and topics) /help /join channelname (joins that channel, case sensitive) /nick newnickname /who * (shows who's on your current channel) To make your own channel, just /join mychannelname then: /topic mytopic and wait for people to show up. some constant channels (maintained by programs, or they're incredible popular) are: Anime! (Japanese animation) hottub (the electronic version of a party tub) initgame (a game of guessing initials) atari (usually one around) amiga nihon (requires special program that displays hiragana) IRC uses a 'client' to interface with the other computer. A client is a program that interprets incoming data and massages it into a more readable form. IRC actually telnets to a IRC server, and splits the screen up, so you can see what you are typing. A server is a program that serves data to clients. Well, that's about it for this chapter, if you have questions go ahead and mail me at: wilsont@rahul.net The next chapter is about News and finishing up this UNIX guide. ------------------------------------------------ Now, the last part of the Internet access guide. name ----------> MSen area codes ----> 313 local access --> All of SE Michigan (313) fees ----------> $5/month + $2/hr or $20/mo for 20 hr voice ---------> 313-998-4562 fax -----------> 313-998-4563 name ----------> NEARnet area codes ----> 508, 603, 617 local access --> Boston, MA; Nashua, NH fees ----------> $250/month email ---------> nearnet-join@nic.near.net voice ---------> 617-873-8730 name ----------> Netcom Online Communication Services dialup --------> (310) 842-8835, (408) 241-9760, (408) 459-9851, (415) 424-0131, (510) 426-6860, (510) 865-9004 'guest' area codes ----> 213, 310, 408, 415, 510, 818 local access --> CA: San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles services ------> shell, ftp, telnet, irc, WAIS, gopher, SLIP, feeds fees ----------> $19.50/month + $15.00 signup voice ---------> 408-554-UNIX name ----------> OARnet area codes ----> 614, 513, 419, 216, 800 local access --> OH: Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton fees ----------> $4.00/hr to $330.00/month; call for code or send email voice ---------> 614-292-8100 fax -----------> 614-292-7168 << panix >> name ----------> PANIX Public Accss Unix area codes ----> 212, 718 local access --> New York City, NY long distance -> provided by user fees ----------> $19/month or $208/year + $40 signup voice ---------> 212-877-4854 [Alexis Rosen], 718-965-3768 [Jim Baumbach] << portal >> name ----------> The Portal System dialup --------> (408) 725-0561 'new', 'info', 'help' area codes ----> 408, 415, PDN local access --> CA: Cupertino, Mountain View fees ----------> $18.95/month + $19.95 signup voice ---------> 408-973-9111 name ----------> PSI's Global Dialup Service (GDS) area codes ----> PDN local access --> fees ----------> $39/month + $39 startup voice ---------> 703-620-6651 fax -----------> 703-620-4586 name ----------> PSILink - Personal Internet Access area codes ----> PDN local access --> fees ----------> $29/month + $19 startup (PSILink software included) voice ---------> 703-620-6651 fax -----------> 703-620-4586 name ----------> Rock CONCERT Net area codes ----> 704, 919 local access --> NC: Asheville, Chapel Hill, Charlotte, Durham, Greensboro, Greenville, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Research Triangle Park fees ----------> $30/month + $50 signup voice ---------> 919-248-1999 name ----------> NeoSoft's Sugar Land Unix dialup --------> 713-684-5900 area codes ----> 713 local access --> TX: Houston metro area fees ----------> $29.95/month voice ---------> 713-438-4964 name ----------> The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link dialup --------> (415) 332-6106 'newuser' area codes ----> 415, PDN local access --> Sausalito, CA fees ----------> $15.00/month + $2.00/hr voice ---------> 415-332-4335 name ----------> The World dialup --------> (617) 739-9753 'new' area codes ----> 617, PDN local access --> Boston, MA fees ----------> $5.00/month + $2.00/hr or $20/month for 20 hours voice ---------> 617-739-0202 That's the end of 'em. --==--==--==--==-- ||| ||| Developing News: Important items from TOS platform developers / | \ ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// SpiritWare's Concordance and NASB -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For those using SpiritWare's Concordance program, there is some good news. Zondervan has granted SpiritWare an exemption from the minimum distribution they had previously required. Instead of having to sell 1000 copies, Zondervan is allowing SpiritWare to sell 100 copies of Concordance per year - allowing for the NIV Bible to be available for at least another year. Also, the New American Standard Bible (NASB) has become available to SpiritWare by the auspices of the Lockman Foundation. In the next few weeks the NASB disks should be available to SpiritWare. Once received, they plan to release NASB in a few additional weeks. At this point, the end of March is a possible release date. A donation of $30.00 will be asked for NASB. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Typeface and Graphics Library Clearance Sale -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= St. Louis, MO SoftLogik has announced a huge clearance sale of their professional quality fonts and clip art at a price never before seen. SoftLogik is discontinuing the Typeface and Graphics Libraries (due to non-renewal of the license agreement). However, their is a large supply of materials related to these products. Instead of simply destroying them, SoftLogik wants to pass them along to you in the form of a sale. This sale is a one of a kind. Until April 4, 1993 you can take advantage of the offers shown below. But thereafter, SoftLogik will no longer be selling these items. Nor will they ever offer such a great deal again! The SoftLogik Graphic Library is the only professional quality structured drawing collection for the Atari. With over 3000 illustrations, you can be sure of finding what you need. Because the illustrations are structured drawings, you can resize them without creating jaggies. You can import and edit them with PageStream, Art Expression and Professional Page 4 and then print them on any type of printer! Volume Contents Volume Contents ----------------------------------------------------------------- 01 Miscellaneous 02 Miscellaneous 03 Miscellaneous 04 Cartoon People 05 Cartoon People 06 Business & Industry 07 World Maps 08 Miscellaneous 09 Design Elements 10 Symbols & Headings 11 Food & Entertainment 12 Occasions 13 Lifestyles 14 Office & Education 15 Universal Symbols 16 Celebrity Caricatures 17 Silhouettes 18 Design Backgrounds 19 Fabulous Fifties 20 Business Cartoons 21 Borders & Ornaments Each volume may be purchased singly for $40. When purchasing two or more volumes, the price is $30 per volume. Alternately, you can purchase the entire series for $200 on a hard disk or $450 on floppy disks. ~*~ The SoftLogik Typeface Library is the largest collection of professional outline fonts for the Atari. These fonts work great with PageStream and Art Expression, and can be converted for use with many other Atari programs. Individual fonts (an entire family) may be purchased for $10. Alternately, you may purchase the entire typeface library for $650 on a hard drive. Orders for the entire typeface library on floppy disk are possible =only= as individual fonts ($10 per family). LIST OF FONTS IN EACH FONT VOLUME Starter Fonts Volume: $40 Newsletter Fonts Volume: $40 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cooper Black Brush Script ITC Machine Comic Book Two ITC Souvenir Light Lubalin Graph ITC Souvenir Light Italic MiniPics ITC Stone Sans Medium Olive Antique ITC Stone Sans Bold Olive Antique Bold Surf Style Bold Stone Informal Medium Stone Informal Medium Italic Designer Fonts Volume: $65 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Arquitectura Ad Lib Alexander Bold Banco ITC Clearface Contour Corvinus Skyline Eurostil Extended Bold Fraktur Friz Quadrata Friz Quadrata Bold Gentle Sans UltraBold L&C Hairline Murray Hill New Yorker Reporter Uniform 49 Ultra Condensed Designer Fonts Volume: $65 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ITC Berkeley Book ITC Berkeley Book Italic ITC Berkeley Bold ITC Berkeley Bold Italic ITC Caslon Book ITC Caslon Book Italic Castle Commercial Script ITC Fenice Regular ITC Fenice Regular Italic Futura Condensed Bold Futura Cond XBold Futura Light Futura Medium Gentle Sans Gentle Sans Bold Best Sellers Pack: $80 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Aki Lines Allegro Augustea Augustea Inline Bernhard Tango Brush Script Castle Champagne Commercial Script Drop Caps 1 Drop Caps 2 Fraktur Gallia Liberty Liberty Outline MiniPics Mistral Murray Hill New Yorker New Yorker Engraved Park Avenue Scanning Sterling Thor Vivaldi The Font Plus Pack (equivalent to the 35 PS fonts, but in DMF format) has been discontinued as well, and is available for $10. If you purchased anything from the Typeface Library or Graphic Library on or after January 1, 1993 at the regular prices, you can get extra product credit by calling SoftLogik Sales. Please Note: To qualify for the discount price offered for the entire typeface of clip art libraries on a hard drive, you must provide either three 44Mb or two 88 Mb Syquest cartridges or a SCSI hard drive. Once received, the entire library will be copied onto your cartridge/hard drive. The entire clip art library may be obtained on floppy disks, but the typeface library can not be ordered in this manner. However, you can purchase the entire typeface family as individual fonts at $10 per family. The clip art library requires 120MB of space. The font collection requires 75MB of space. To purchase any of these items, contact Soft-Logik at (800) 829-8608 or in the ST. Louis area, call (314) 894-8608 or by FAX (314) 894-3280. This offer expires April 4, 1993, so order today! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// MultiWriter¿ Annouced from Medical Design Software =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Suggested Retail: $69.95 Edmond, WA Medical Designs Software has announced the release of MultiWriter for the Atari ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon030 computers. MultiWriter, an outgrowth of ST Writer and ST Writer Elite, is compatible with existing files from either program. The displays and functionality of MultiWriter resemble ST Writer Elite; so current users of ST Writer Elite will find that they can easily become proficient with MultiWriter. MultiWriter is compatible with all versions of TOS and the new MultiTOS operating system soon to be released by Atari Corporation. Re-written to be MultiTOS compliant, MultiWriter has been tested on, and works with: Gemulator (available from Branch Always Software) and Spelling Sentry (available from Wintertree Software Inc). However, MultiWriter is much more then an ST Writer Elite look-a-like. Supporting multiple font sizes (including large sizes for use by the visually impaired), multi-colored menu items, loading and saving in multiple file formats, use of the Atari Clipboard, configurable in three languages, it works in all ST, STe, TT030 and Falcon030 resolutions, and is fully compatible with TOS and MultiTOS. MultiWriter allows import and export of text in five formats: ASCII, ST Writer Elite, WordPerfect, 1st Word and WordWriter. MultiWriter can be configured initially to utilize either English, German or Spanish. Printer support is also user configurable. After saving these options, they will be utilized whenever the program is run. Printer configuration files for Epson compatible and Hewlett-Packard Laserjet compatible printers are also provided. If you are currently using ST Writer Elite, and will be upgrading to the new MultiTOS or Falcon computers, MultiWriter is for you. A demo version of MultiWriter is available from the File Libraries on GEnie and CompuServe. For more information, contact Medical Designs Software, 21701 76th Avenue West, Suite 206, Edmonds, WA 98026. Or, by phone, call (206) 742-2032. Dealer inquiries are welcome. MultiWriter is a trademark of Medical Designs Software. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// STraight FAX Version 1.07 / Toad Computers Bulletin Board =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Severna Park, MD Since all of the STraight Fax users own a modem, what would be more natural then a bulletin board devoted to STraight FAX support? So, as of Monday, February 8th, Toad Computers has established a new bulletin board system. To use the bulletin board, you may call 24 hours a day at 300- 14,400 baud. The phone number is (410) 544-6999. Charles Smeton of NewSTar Technology Management and the programmer of STraight FAX, is co-sysop of the board. He will frequently be online to answer user's questions, provide upgrade information and new accessories. Primarily intended to provide STraight FAX support, users can also find the latest "Toad Specials." For more information about STraight FAX or the new bulletin board, contact Toad Computers, 570-F Ritchie Highway, Severna Park, MD 21146-2925. Or call (410) 544-6943. FAX at (410) 544-1329. On GEnie, you may send inquiries to TOAD-SERV or C.S.SMETON. On CompuServe, you may contact 72470,1605. Version 1.07 of STraight FAX! is due out in the next 2-3 weeks. To upgrade, please send $2 plus your original disk to: Toad Computers 570-F Ritchie Highway Severna Park, MD 21146 Voice (410) 544-6943 FAX (410) 544-1329 BBS (410) 544-6999 See the 1.07 README file in the STraight FAX! file section for a complete discussion of the features available in 1.07. Briefly, new 1.07 features include: - The ability to include GRAPHICS in ASCII text conversions - Support of Supra Caller ID Feature - Support of Supra Silent Answer Feature - Page Margins may now be specified (Top, Bottom, Left and Right) - During ASCII Text to FAX conversions, the text will now word wrap - Images from the Clipboard may now be scaled into a clip area - ASCII Text may be pasted from the Clipboard into a clip area and will be converted into a bit-mapped format - A new command exists to rotate a graphic window - Dynamic scrolling: drag the graphic within the window - Set input and output I/O buffer size parameters - Bezier curves are now supported in GEM/3 Metafiles (requires GDOS and MEMORY.SYS) Plus there are many more features. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// STraight FAX & Calligrapher 3 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Columbia, MD CodeHead Technologies and Working Title US have announced the release of the Calligrapher 3 graphics-based word processor. Calligrapher 3 does not require the use of GDOS or G+Callig as GDOS has been built into Calligrapher 3. While GDOS is not used by Calligrapher 3, GDOS printer drivers are used by Calligrapher 3 for printing. We have been informed by Codehead Technologies that users of Calligrapher 3 will be able to use the existing STraight FAX! GDOS Printer Driver (STFAX.SYS) to "print-to-disk" FAX files. The STFAX.SYS driver should be copied to the Calligrapher 3 FONTS folder and the Calligrapher 3 Setup program should be used to select this driver as one of the two printer drivers that may be selected. While we have not verified this here at NewSTar Technology Management, the STFAX.SYS GDOS Printer Driver was constructed using Atari Corporation's GDOS Printer Driver Builder Kit just as regular GDOS printer drivers are. Calligrapher 3 uses its own scalable font technology, so we anticipate that FAX files generated with Calligrapher 3 will be of the same high quality as the FAX files generated from Calamus, PageStream and FSM/Speedo GDOS applications. Also, all customers are asked to re-register the STraight FAX! with NewSTar Technology Management, users may FAX their registration information to our FAX support number at Toad Computers at 410-544-1329 or send _private_ GEMail to C.S.SMETON. Our postal mailing address is: NewSTar Technology Management P.O. Box 122 Columbia, Maryland 21045-0122 Please be sure to include your 10 digit Registration Number, place of purchase, and your online mailing address. We are also asking that any users who are still waiting for disk upgrades, new manuals, Font GDOS or the Canon/Navaronne Scanner driver from orders placed with the previous marketing company to please let us know about your order via FAX, private GEMail or postal mail. Users who have never sent in their Registration Cards or who have just purchased the STraight FAX! should re-address their Registration Card to the mailing address above. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= //// Purple Mountain Moves =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Bellevue, WA Purple Mountain Computers, Inc. has moved its warehouse facilities to a larger locale. More importantly, our phone number has also changed, the new number is 206-399-8700. Our mailing address still remains the same: Purple Mountain Computers, Inc., 15600 NE 8th St. Ste. A3-412 Bellevue, WA 98008 --==--==--==--==-- ||| ||| Shutdown ............................ Power off, EXIT, BYE, Logoff / | \ ------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------ //// THE WORD from Atari this morning.... Atari Falcon030s will begin shipping in the first week of March. With luck, we'll have more information in our next issue. //// I had an interesting experience last Sunday that I'd like to relate. Background: I worked with Chris Latham for a short spell a few years ago at A&D Software. There, Chris was busy developing a LAN for TOS platform machines. (Chris is one of the foremost assembly language programmers on the TOS platform - an honest, unassuming man who loves tinkering with our Ataris.) We eventually went our seperate ways. I wound up working with Atari Explorer and running AEO. Chris stayed in the LAN field. (Chris practically _is_ the LAN field.) We keep in touch, and last Sunday, while chatting with him, he asked me if I'd like to test out a LAN driver that would allow a remote computer to establish a LAN connection over a modem. I said yes, and I downloaded about 9K (yes, nine kilobytes) of files, copied them to their proper folders on my system, and rebooted my PowerDOS equipped TT030. After connecting modems again through a special DA, I could open a directory window on my GEM Desktop that gave me access to Chris' hard drives, printer, and screen. (And I gave him similar access to mine as well.) We printed a few messages on each other's screens, and I spent a few minutes copying some sound files from my HD to Chris' HD. Then I found a simple game on Chris' HD, and I double clicked on the filename. (Remember, I'm still at my good old Desktop.) After a few seconds, the file had been transfered into my TT030 where it ran - just as if it had been on my HD. Chris lives in Oregon. I live in Florida. Talk about a cross-continent computer connection! It was well cool! I was totally impressed with the experience. Then again, maybe I just impress easily. This driver isn't for sale - yet. Chris is working on improving its performance, and hopes to add it to his PowerNET package one day. //// The CodeHeads will have a Real Time Conference this Wednesday the 17th on the GEnie ST RoundTable. The CodeHeads always have something very interesting to say, and are simply fun to talk with - making this a RTC to attend. Please do so. //// The Atari Explorer Online Programmer's Journal is in the early stages of pre-development. In plain Engligh, that means the first issue of AEO-PJ is still being assembled. Albert and the AEO Editorial Force have been active this past week, with ideas bouncing around in EMail like ping-pong balls. AEO-PJ #1 should be ready for upload to the nets by the end of the month. Look for it then. //// As always, we encourage submissions for AEO and AEO-PJ. If you would like to write for either AEO magazine, and feel that you can "live up" to our standards, contact us. Use any of our online addresses to contact us. Or drop us a note in our topic area on GEnie: Category 15, Topic 20. Until the next issue of AEO, I remain, Your Editor Travis Guy --==--==--==--==-- (This issue printed on recycled photons) --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a bi-weekly publication covering the Atari computer community. Material published in this issue may be reprinted under the following terms only: articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Reprint permission is granted, unless otherwise noted at the beginning of the article, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff, or of Atari Corporation. --==--==--==--==-- Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS, NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation. All other trademarks mentioned in this issue belong to their respective owners. --==--==--==--==-- Atari Explorer Online Magazine "The Official Atari Online Journal" Copyright ½ 1993, Atari Computer Corporation * * * * * * * * * * * * :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: A E O ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :: Volume 2 - Issue 4 ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE 14 Feburary 1993 :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::