›*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*››       NEWSLETTER REVIEW›        by ALAN SHARKIS›   MEMBER OL' HACKERS A.U.G. NY›› (If  after reading this very complete›review  of other club newsletters, you›don't   ask   ALAN   for   the  source›newsletter,  then  you  don't  want to›know more about your ATARI. Editor)››"It's   time  to  decide  where  we're›going,"  the  familiar cry repeats for›the  umpteenth  time.   Atari is going›great   guns   all  around  the  world›EXCEPT  for the USA.  The critics want›machines,  the  users  want  machines,›the  software  houses say that without›machines  they'll  see  no profit from›Atari  computers,  so  development has›fallen  off.   All of this seems to be›centered  on  the  lack of TT030s here›and  of  problems with the STEs.  What›about  those  antique  8-bits?  It may›surprise  you to know that even though›Atari  stopped  making  them two years›ago,    hardware   modifications   and›software  continue to be developed for›them.   Many users will not stop using›them,   even  though  they  have  also›purchased  some  of  the  new machines›out  there.   This  month's newsletter›review is full of such sentiment.›› The  January/February,  1991 issue of›XIO3  is a perfect example.  Just read›ROWLAND   GRANT's   Atari   News   and›Rumours   column  and  his  review  of›Atari   Interface  Magazine.   Take  a›look  at  the  type-in softare by JOHN›PICKEN.     His    BJACKET.BAS    even›includes  the TYPOII codes so that you›can  check  your typing before you run›the program.›› The  May, 1991 issue of Newsline (ACE›of  St.  Louis)  reproduces  the Z-NET›announcement   of   the  cessation  of›publication  at  STart  and  the   ICD›blowout   sale   announcement.    JOAN›RYAN's  column, Bits of Eight, is much›more  upbeat  and takes us to a number›of      hardware      and     software›demonstrations  at  the  the club's 8-›bit SIG meeting.›› (FR)ANTIC  for  May,  1991  contains,›among   other   interesting  articles,›ALVAN  SHERRILL's excellent Beginners'›Column;  this one devoted to printers.› NIR   DAREY  gives  a  very  complete›description   of   disk   layout.   He›explains  how  sectors  and tracks are›arranged  on  a  disk  and  where  the›boot,  VTOC, and directory sectors are›located   for   single   and  enhanced›density.   But  beyond those two there›are  several  short articles that will›hold your interest.  Take a look.›› The  May/June,  1991  issue  of  XIO3›mentions  our  club  and RON FETZER in›connection  with  all  the work he has›done  with  TurboBasic.   GCACE's JOHN›PICKEN,  of  course,  was  the one who›produced   the   special   version  of›TurboBasic   that   Ron  uses  in  his›programming  system.   We look forward›to    more   cooperation   with   this›Canadian    group.    The   newsletter›continues  with  a  feature article by›ROWLAND  GRANT  on DON BELL of BELLCOM›SOFTWARE.   GORDON  HOOPER has written›an  excellent  take-off on Atari 8-bit›error   messages.   JOHN  PICKEN,  aka›01001010  01001011  01010000, talks us›through   binary  arithmetic  and  its›relatonship       to       hexadecimal›arithmetic.    (I  generally  let  the›computers worry about that stuff!)›› A  new addition to this column is the›May/June,    1991   issue   of   8:16,›published   by   the  Bournemouth  and›Poole  Atari  User  Group  of England.›It's  a  very  professional  newsleter›and  shows  a  great  deal  of balance›between  8  and  16-bit interests.  An›article  called  PACDEMO  Revisited by›SIMON  TREW describes programming in a›compiled  language  called PL65, one I›haven't    encounted    before.    The›structure  of  the  language  makes it›fine  for  things  like  player-missle›programming,  but  it  doesn't  have a›floating-point  system,  so  elaborate›math  operations  will  be cumbersome.›However,    the   structure   of   the›language  is  interesting.  You have a›Pascal  or  C-like  syntax  into which›you  can  directly  type 6502 assembly›mnemonics.   It's strange, but bridges›the    gap    between   assembly   and›structured   high-level   programming.›If  you program regularly, this should›be  interesting.   PAUL BIRD's article›talks  about  switching between MAC/65›and  BASIC without rebooting.  DERRYCK›CROKER  explains  the  Device  Control›Block  to us in a well-written article›with   programming  examples  in  both›BASIC  and  assembly.   There are also›reprints  of JIMMY BOYCE's AtariWriter›series  and CHUCK STEINMAN's Turbo 816›series.›› In  the  June, 1991 SLCC Journal, BOB›WOOLEY  gets  lost.  He begins to talk›about  a  gray-scale  circuit  for his›80-column  project, but that leads him›down  the  garden  path  to  a general›discussion    of    monitors,    video›standards,  and  how  you  can use the›newer  monitors  with  STs, STEs, TTs.›C'mon,     Bob,    this    stuff    is›fasciniating,  but  you  owe us, and I›have  no doubts that you will deliver.› To  be  fair,  Bob  has mentioned the›SIO2PC  as useful in preparing text in›IBM  format on machines as comfortable›as his beloved 1200s.›› The June, 1991 issue of The WAND is a› real gem.  Although many articles are› reprinted  from other magazines, they›seemed  to select the best this month.› I  won't  take  time to list them all›here.  Just get the issue and enjoy!›› ACE  of Syracuse Newsletter for June,›1991   features   a   review  of  News›Station  (Reeve Software) by VERNON W.›SMITH.›› The  June, 1991 Between Bytes inludes›a   tutorial   by  ROBERT  S.  ELY  on›Spartados  X.  This installment covers›a    general    description   of   the›cartridge   and   the   philosophy  of›command-line  interpretors, especially›the  similarity  of commands to MS-DOS›commands.   Considerable  attention is›given to the CONFIG.SYS file.›› The  MUG  Newsletter  of  June,  1991›(NAPCO  section)  contains  the  usual›reprints   of   articles   that   have›already  been  reviewed  here, but the›meeting   description   and   opinions›expressed  therein show NAPCO to be an›active group with lots of ideas.›› The  June,  1991  edition of NEWSLINE›(ACE  of  St.  Louis)  contains a very›interesting  preview of what will be a›much-used  product.   Yet  the company›making  it is an old and familiar name›to  8-bit Atarians.  Does the name LJK›have  a  familiar  name?   Do you long›for  elaborate,  animated  titles  for›your  videos?  Stay tuned; all of this›and  more  will  be  yours when "MOVIE›CREDITS"  makes  its debut in the near›future.   JOAN  RYAN does the preview.›There  is  also an interesting reprint›of  an article (no author's name) from›Jan.     1991     PACESETTER     8-bit›Newsletter.   Its  title,  "DOS?  DOS?›DOS?",  should  give  you a clue about›its  contents,  but it's obviously the›first in a series.›› June,   1991  (FR)ANTIC  is  full  of›interesting   material,   much  of  it›related  to  our  sending RON FETZER's›programming  kit  to AAAUA.  President›ALVAN  SHERRILL  mentions  it  in  his›Presidential  Ponderings column, there›is  a  review,  and  a  separate  item›telling  non-members  how  to order it›from   Ol'   Hackers.    Also,   ALVAN›SHERRILL   continues   his  series  on›printers,   Billy   Washburn   reviews›several  educational programs, and NIR›DAREY  continues  his  series  on disk›layout  with  a  description  of boot,›directory, VTOC and file sectors.›› B.A.C.E. Line for June., 1991 carries› articles on TextPro configuration and› macro creation.›› The  July, 1991 SLCC Journal contains›one   column   that   we  all  eagerly›anticipate:   BOB  WOOLEY's  "POUNDING›ON  THE  8-BITS".  Last month, Bob got›lost,  as  I  have said earlier.  This›month  he  confirms  it.   Instead  of›continuing  with  his  80-column  card›project,  he  is  now  giving  us  the›lowdown  on ICD's closeout (welcome to›the   club,   Bob)   and   some  minor›projects  that  he  has going at home,›including  a  full  examination of the›1450XLD   and   the  815  disk  drive.›Actually,  I can't blame Bob entirely.› He's  got to be feeling pressure from›8-bitters  who  want news and articles›less   esoteric   than   an  80-column›board.›› The  front  cover  of L.V.A.U.G. News›for  July,  1991 explains why ALEX has›stopped  asking  for  instructions  on›setting   up  a  ramdisk  in  a  stock›800XL.   ANDREW  BUONGIORNO's  article›in  our  own  newsletter  of  May/June›1989  is  reproduced  there.   So is a›handy  tip  on how to get around ERROR›164  from  the same issue.  The ususal›Action!   and   BBS  PRO  tutorial  by›Thomas M. JOHNSON also appears.›› The  July, 1991 MUG Newsletter (NAPCO›section)     mentions    sources    of›AtariWriter+  and  AtariWriter  80.  A›letter  from  LEE  S. GRUNDEL provides›enough  inspiration to continue the 8-›bits  for  most  of  us.  Read it when›you  have  a  chance.  There is also a›reprint  of  JOHN McGOWAN's reviewo of›Daisy Dot III.›› The    June,   1991   Between   Bytes›continues  Robert S. Ely's description›of  the  SpartaDos  X cartridge.  This›time,   Robert   gets   us   into  the›autoexec.bat   file,   and  goes  into›detal  about how it can be used to set›features,  set up an MIO, put in pokes›(just   like   BASIC),   provide   for›setting   the   time   and  date,  and›running your application.›› The  July, 1991 (FR)ANTIC has a great›collection   of   articles.   ED  HALL›describes   why  a  P:  R:  Connection›should  be  unplugged when not in use,›but   the  SIO  cables  should  remain›attached   to  an  XF551  as  much  as›possible.   THELMA  SUNVISON  tells us›that   the   ICD   sale  will  end  on›September   1st,  and  items  will  no›longer  be  available  from them after›that  date.   ALVAN  SHERRILL tells us›how  to  put imbedded printer commands›into   AtariWriter+   and  his  column›reflects  the  changes  by  showing us›the  different  fonts available on his›printer.   LARRY ALLEN's Learning With›DOS  column  discusses  types of files›and  the  filename  extenders commonly›associated  with them and how they are›loaded   and   used.    RUSSEL  GIBSON›discusses  cassette  to disk transfer.›MARLON  SIKES  talks  about connecting›two  modems with a piece of phone wire›and  a  nine-volt  battery to transfer›files  from  one  machine  to another.›There  are  also a number of reprinted›articles.›› The  back  of  The  Acorn  Kernel for›July,    1991   has   an   interesting›reprinted  article  about undocumented›AtariWriter  features,  reprinted from›the Magic Book, 6/91.›› The July/August Keeping PACE reprints› ED  HALL's  article  about  New Atari›User,   from   Page  6  Publishing  of›England  and  about  some of the games›they   review  that  have  never  been›published  in the United States.  It's›an interesting article.›› The   July/August   ACE  of  Syracuse›Newsletter   (that's   right,  they're›bimonthly  now)  has a good article on›lightning  protection  by  LEN  BARKER›and  a  very informative one by THOMAS›J.  ANDREWS  on  the  use  of  the  IF›statement in BASIC programming.›› In the August, 1991 issue of the SLCC› Journal, BOB WOOLEY actually DOES get› back  to  his 80-column discussion (I›told  you  he  would!),  and goes much›further  than  that.  He gets into the›philosophy  of why computers get to be›so  complicated and why this is really›unneccesary.›› The  ACORN  Kernel  for  August, 1991›carries  an  announcement  by NICHOLAS›J.  CUP  that  JEFF  SUMMERS  will  no›longer   be   writing   his  Basically›Speaking  column.   Nicholas expresses›sadness  at  this fact and states that›the  columns  will  be  missed.  I can›only  echo  that  from  our membership›here at OL' HACKERS.›› ›+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*››                                      ›