**************************************›          Newsletter Bits›          By Alan Sharkis›          Member Ol' Hackers›          Atari User Group, Inc.›**************************************››My  first  newsletter  for review this›month  goes  back  to  1987.  I didn't›know  why it was included in the stack›until   I    scanned   its   table  of›contents.   The list of articles, both›8-  bit and ST was representative of a›booming  Atari  usership.   I  mention›the  ST articles only for perspective.›I've  never  gotten into that machine,›but I recognize that its health has  a›clear impact on the health of anything›Atari.   So,  in an  effort to explore›what   was,   at  the  time,  new  and›intriguing   (and,  perhaps  to wonder›what   might  have  been)  here  goes:›From  the December. 1987 Acorn Kernal,›Jeff   Summers'   Basically   Speaking›column  begins  with  a  discussion of›cursor  control,   but  moves into the›area  of total screen control.  It's a›very   worthwhile  column.   If you've›ever wondered how to move a  cursor in›a  BASIC  program, get characters from›the  keyboard   instead  of  from  the›screen, or limit user input, read this› article.   There is also a review, by›Nicholas  Cup,  of the  original Daisy›Dot.   Nick's 8-bit library column and›Jeff   Pyle's Library Favorites column›are  ample  evidence  of the  size and›scope of Acorn's 8-bit interest at the›time of the  issue.  A review by Chuck›Grimbsy of Amodem 7.5 is complete  and›accurate.    I   remember   using  the›program.   Although  it  was   never a›personal   favorite,   it   still  has›adherents  today.   An  interview with›Ron  Kovace  of ZMAG fame, uploaded to›Atari   Apex  BBS  by the interviewer,›Chuck   Leazott   of  HDUC  has  great›historical   interest.   The  magazine›also   reprinted   David  G.   Grace's›article  entitled, " - The G-Man - The›Computer  Police  Want You", from WACO›PRINTOUT  of October 1987 as a prelude›to    ACORN's   presentation   of  Ken›Vossler's   (FBI)  speech  to  ACORN's›members on computer crime and software›piracy.  Columns  reprinted from other›newsletters  abound. They include Alan›Friedman (Current Notes, October 1987)›on  ramdisks  for  the   320K-expanded›130XE,   a   whimsical   expansion  of›Murphy's   Law    (LCACE   Newsletter,›October  1977),  an  anonymous  letter›about  piracy (PSAN, October 1977), an›interview   with   Leo   Newman,   the›original Oasis BBS author (uploaded by›Chuck Leazott to  Atari Apex BBS), and›David  Yearke's article, "I Don't Need›to   Justify  Owning  an 8-bit *OR* an›ST"  (BOAST,  October 1977).    Now to›more   current   articles:     In  the›October,  1990  JACG  Newsletter, Dave›Arlington writes  about using C on the›8-bits,  and  reviews four C compilers›for  the 8-bit.  Sam Cory tells us how›to  subscribe  to Page 6  magazine and›what to expect from it.  Joseph Hicswa›reviews  a   good  1986  book  called,›"Graphing  and  Animation on the Atari›Computer",   by  Christopher  Lampton.›David  Arlington  continues  his Diary›of a Flight Simulator Pilot.  Neil Van›Oost,  Jr.   demonstrates in print how›to  create a greeting card with  Daisy›Dot  III.    From October, 1990 A.C.E.›St.   Louis   Newsline:    Joan   Ryan›reviews    several    additions    and›enhancements  to  Daisy  Dot III.  ACE›St. Louis also describes its hard copy›(book)  library,   which  seems  to be›predominately 8-bit.    From Clevatari›October,  1990:   George  Neff  writes›about  Ol'  Hackers Newsletter module.›Everything  George says is  absolutely›true.     Well,  well!   A.  C. E. St.›Louis  Newsline  gets  a  new look for›November,   1990!   The  new  masthead›features  the  word NEWSLINE  (I guess›that's  how  they  want  it to be know›from  now  on).   Joan  Ryan leads off›with   a   review  of  John  McGowan's›program   to convert Daisy Dot III for›use  with  the  Star  NX1000   printer›(John had previously done this for the›Star   NX10).   There  is  a  list  of›sources of 8-bit software, compiled by› Joan   Ryan.      B.A.C.E.   Line  of›November,     1990    mentions    Neta›Fillmore's  success in making pen-pals›with  members of Atari clubs all  over›the   world.    Neta   had  names  and›addresses   available  for   her  club›members.   She  also  showed  them the›newsletter disk  she had received from›Ol' Hackers.  Mike Mezaros of Betazine› announced, with regret, the demise of›that  newsletter  because  of the loss›of   key  staff  people.     Dateline:›Atari   for   November.   1990   is  a›statement  of the  determination of B.›A.  S.  I.  C.  to  continue as a club›after   the  untimely  passing  of its›president for many years, Pete  Fazio.› The   new   president,  Al  Petersen,›himself a founding  member of B. A. S.›I.   C.,   put   together   an  eighth›anniversary  issue that includes 8-bit›articles  from our own Stan  Schenfeld›(Atari   8-bit   Graphics)   and  Alex›Pignato    (various    subjects),   an›article on building null-modem cables,›and  a   brief history of the founding›of  the  important companies who  make›computers   today.      In   the  JACG›Newsletter  for  November, 1990, David›Arlington  has a review of Kyan Pascal›for  the  8-bits.   I  have  used this›compiler and enjoyed it.  David points›out  that  this  is  a   standard  ISO›Pascal  compiler,  and  comes with its›own   editor   and  special  operating›system   (KIX,   similar   to   UNIX),›although   you  are  free  to use your›own.   David  likes  the editor in his›Action!  cartridge  and  found himself›with  a  cumbersome  task  when he had›written  source  code with this editor›and  then   wanted  to compile it with›Kyan  Pascal.  His Sparta X  cartridge›solved  that  problem  for him!  David›feels  that  the  manual is as good as›any  textbook in helping you learn the›language.  Unlike implementations of C›for the 8-bit, Kyan  Pascal comes with›floating-point math routines that make›use  of the routines in the 8-bit's os›rom, thereby making it very  accurate!› The  compiler is a two-pass compiler,›which  means   that it converts source›code   to   assembly  code,  and  then›compiles   the   assembly   code  into›machine  language.   While this  slows›the   process   a   bit,  it  has  the›advantage of allowing you  to get into›the   assembly-language   version  for›further  enhancement of your programs.› Alternately,  you  can  use your  own›assembler.   The  compiler will report›errors,  like  most.   Most  compilers›will  stop dead at the first error and›you  have   to  begin  the process all›over  again  after each error.  Unlike›most,  and  happily  at  that,  Kyan's›compiler  will  not stop at  the first›error,  but  will generate a report of›all  errors it  encounters so that you›can  correct them all and recompile in›one  operation.   The finished machine›code  runs  very  fast;   faster  than›TurboBasic,  but  not quite as fast as›something  done in Assembly or Action!›  Atari-specific  features are  scant,›but  Kyan  does  sell tool kits to get›around   this   problem.   In  another›column,  David  continues (you guessed›it!)  his  Diary of a Flight Simulator›Pilot.   Neil Van Oost,  Jr., gives us›another demonstration-in-print.›                                      ›