›               o=o=o=o=o=››          PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE›           by Jack Gedalius››            May--June, 1998›› At the May 16th meeting,  Al  Sharkis› discussed  NassauNet,  a new Internet› provider (via the Library System) for› Nassau  County.   Incorporated   with› NassauNet  is  LYNX,  a Web browser. › Unfortunately,   LYNX   can  only  be› utilized for  text  entries  and  the› library  will  not allow us to use it› to download files.›› Ron Fetzer demonstrated the  features› and  setup  of a modem program called› Ice-T 2.72.  We did  not  connect  to› the Internet, however.›› Al Sharkis discussed a program called› Ram Drive.  It set multi-RAM disks on› the  standard 8-Bit machine.  He also› demonstrated San Leandro's  February,› 1998  disk, consisting of movie-maker› files.  Some examples of these  files› are,  a  cartoon  of a cat, the Irish› Jig, A Night Out,  and  Rose.   There› was  also  a game in which the player› attempted to knock a  cat  off  of  a› fence.   There  was  also  a  graphic› adventure game called Space Board.›› The  June  20th  meeting was exciting› because   out-of-state   Atari  users› enlightened us with their  presence. › Several of these Atari users belonged› to the Atari club,  LIAUG.   We  were› delighted  to have such a great turn-› out!    We   were   joined  by  Frank› Walters, a Floridian  member  of  Ol'› Hackers,  who graciously demonstrated› the new  features  of  TextPro  which› will  be  discussed  later on in this› president's message. ›› My wonderful and intelligent thirteen› year  old   daughter   Rebecca   also› honored  us with her presence, as she› demonstrated her  new  Compaq  laptop› computer for the group.›› Al  Sharkis  brought  in  a   program› called XFormer 98, which allows Atari› programs to be used on a PC. We  were› able  to  put  Atari  DOS 2.5 onto my› daughter's computer.›› The  most  incredible  part  of  this› meeting was the fact that we used the› Atari  8-bit to link ourselves to the› Internet!  We would like to extend  a› thank  you  to the Plainview-Bethpage› Library for fixing  us  up  with  the› proper necessities to make this giant› leap for  Atari-kind.   We  explained› how  to  send  and receive e-mail and› how to join mailing  lists.   Through› LYNX,  we were able to connect to the› Internet.    Sadly,  due  to  Atari's› limited  capabilities,  graphics  for› Atari systems are not available.   On› a  happier  note,  by  using a system› called PINE, you can have an  address› book,  with  the  e-mail addresses of› all your friends.   You  can  send  a› letter to all of your friends at once› by using  this  convenient  feature. › PINE  keeps  your address book on its› server, so you don't have to keep  it› on your system.  International Atari-› oriented mailing lists are  available› for  your usage.  One of them is from› Poland.  Telnet allowed us to contact› a  BBS.   We connected to the FidoNet› National Atari Echo  (8-bit)  through› Docs  Place BBS.  Alan explained that› he usually called The Fordham  Jesuit› BBS  in  The  Bronx  to  do  the same› thing.  We sent a message to  one  of› our  members, Tom Andrews, and in the› process demonstrated the features  of› an  address  book,  by  sending the a› carbon copy of  the  message  to  Pat› Mulvey  and  to  Alan  Sharkis at his› Erols Address.›› Ron   Fetzer   demonstrated    ICE-T,› version  2.72.  We utilized it as the› terminal program for the modem.›› We celebrated  the  presence  of  our› visitors  by  eating,  what else?  We› ate pizza and drank Pepsi and 7-Up.›› Frank Walters  demonstrated  the  new› features  of  TextPro.  Some of these› features are four banks  in  addition› to  the  main bank of memory, and the› artistic new Macro features.  He also› showed  his  specialized  handler for› the   CX-85   numeric  keypad  to  be› utilized with TextPro. Following this› we  concluded  the  meeting  and bade› farewell until July.››               BYE FOR NOW,››              JACK GEDALIUS››               o=o=o=o=o=››››