›         NEWSLETTER BITS›               BY›          ALAN SHARKIS›››I  have  a  complaint.  Seems like I'm›not  the only one writing this kind of›column  in a club newsletter.  Shucks,›I   don't   even   know  if  the  idea›originated  with  Ol'  Hackers.   But,›that's not why I'm complaining.››The  complaint centers around the idea›that  clubs  exchange newsletters, and›usually   have   a  pile  of  them  at›meetings,  so that members can look up›articles of interest to them.  It used›to  be  a lot of fun watching some guy›look  for  an article that MIGHT be in›the  pile,  only  he  didn't know what›club  published  it,  or  what date it›might  have had.  He only knew that he›just  HAD  to  find  a  review of some›piece  of  hardware  or other, or some›program  that would solve a problem he›was  having,  or  some tutorial to get›him over his difficulties.  It waS fun›to  watch  the  guy get frustrated and›give up.››It  was  also  fun  to  watch the club›member who was responsible for lugging›those  newsleters to and from meetings›build  biceps  in  the  process.  He'd›hope his bundle was lighter going home›than  it  was coming in, and, wouldn't›you   know  it,  the  same  number  of›newsletters  went  home  with  him!  I›could   visualize,   in   my   twisted›imagination,  the poor guy building up›a        Collier-Brothers-Mansion-like›collection  of  the  things in his own›basement,  wondering  if  anyone  else›really  cared  about the stuff printed›on that paper!››Well,  the fun is about to vanish, and›that's   my   complaint.   Atari  user›groups  aren't  supposed  to  be about›helping  members  get  the best out of›their   membership   now,   are  they?›They're supposed to be about bemoaning›the   fate  of  a  dwindling  machine.›Heck, everyone outside says that Atari›machines  are  old  hat; that anything›you  can do with them has already been›overdone.    We  members  aren't  even›supposed  to  be interested in getting›more  out  of  the machines.  So, what›kind  of  fun  can  a warped mind like›mine have when I see people in my club›and  others actually reading the stuff›in  club  newsletters?  Ours, sure; we›read   our   own.   But  OTHER  CLUBS?›Unheard  of!   And  to  think I and my›counterparts might be making it easier›for  other  people to do that with our›reviews!  Shocking!››I'm  a  teacher in real life, who also›writes  curriculum  occasionally.  For›that purpose I use an MS-DOS clone, to›make  file-sharing  easy.   My  school›system is heavily into Apple, so I use›them,  too.  But the Atari 8-bit is my›real   love,   my   most   comfortable›machine.   I  use  it  for  just about›everything   else  I  do.   I  haven't›exhausted  its  capabilities  yet, and›I've been at it since 1982. . .››Well,  will you look at that!  My face›is  getting  less  hairy, my ears less›pointy,  and  I'm  not  howling at the›moon  any  more.  Maybe I don't really›have a complaint.  Maybe I should just›go on and review the newsletters I was›handed.    Sorry   about  that  little›diversion.  (Uh,  can  I  crawl into a›corner?   Not  now, you say?  OK, I'll›just write the reviews.)››We  start  with  something  from POKEY›(WNYAUG),  September,  1988:   Luis E.›Rodriguez  has  a  fix  for  the TIME$›command in Turbo Basic, Dave Arlington›reviews   Sublogic   Flight  Simulator›Scenery Disk #11, and Kevin D. Packard›gives  a  fairly  complete list of the›peripherals  you  can  attach  to your›Atari once you have a P: R: Connection›or  an  850 to supply an RS-232 Serial›Port.   I  often  tell  people that my›MS-DOS  clone  is  a  peripheral to my›Atari  (through a null-modem cable, of›course)!    Plotters   can   join  the›family,    as   can   speech   boards,›digitizers,  home  power  controllers,›text  readers,  and  a  whole  slew of›input and output devices.›››In the LIAUG Lighthouse of July, 1990,›there  is  are  two  articles by Horst›Dewitz.   One is his usual good job of›describing  the  German Bit Byter Disk›(in  this case, #20), and the other is›a  review  of  the  Backgammon  clone,›Double  Six, from October, 1989 Analog›Magazine.   David Brzezinski reviews a›classic 8-bit game, M.U.L.E., which is›one  of the best economics simulations›I've been fortunate to find.››From STATUS of July/August 1990, there›are   reminders   gathered  from  many›sources  of  new hardware and software›for  our 8-bits, including TextPro 4.5›and Transkey.››From B. A. C. E. Line of August, 1990,›there   is   an  article  about  Darek›Mihocka's  by  now  familiar  line  of›8-bit  emulators for the ST.  Seems as›if  many  ST  owners  actually gave up›their  8-bits when they bought the STs›and are sorry they did!  Now they want›to  run  all that good software again.›The  ST  Xformer emulators let them do›that with some non-protected software.› Their     editor     describes    the›limitations,  and then states that the›solution  to  the problem is to buy an›8-bit!››H.  A. C. E.'s Update Atari of August,›1990    has   no   exclusively   8-bit›articles, but it has not forgotten us,›either.   In  a colum called HardWire,›George   Iken   talks   about  sharing›peripherals for both 8-bits and STs.››                                      ›