<><><> › MINUTES OF THE MARCH MEETING:› =============================› NEW MEMBERS:› As always, we happily welcome› our new members, ANIL (BOBBY) DASS› from Elmhurst, Queens, WESLEY DUFF› from Cortland OH., WILLIAM MIDYETTE› from Elling Conn. and JOSEPH PRIMICH› from Hartford Conn.. We welcome you› all. I think you will get a great› deal out of the OL' HACKERS and make› many new friends. › BILL MIDYETTE and JOE PRIMICH› got up at 6AM leaving Connecticut and› traveled for 3 hours plus, to come to› our meeting. Hows that for long› distance commuting? They say they› plan on coming to other meetings.› They were very knowledgeable about› the 8-bit. BILL demoed a fantastic› CAD program (see demos). We› appreciate their devotion to the 8-› Bit and most especially to the OL'› HACKERS!›› CORRESPONDENCE:›› From the JACG Newsletter. "A› member bought a MODEM and complained› bitterly. "What is the problem?" He› was asked. He responded, "Hey our BBS› does not accept collect calls".› (grin)› A letter from our member SAM› CORY of N.J. He writes over the years› he has read many newsletters from› various groups none have given as› much information or pleasure as the› OL' HACKERS NEWSLETTER, especially in› these declining years of 8 BIT info.› A letter from DANIEL CARRODANO› our member from FRANCE to ALEX. He› writes when he started out he used› ATARIWRITER but had trouble with the› serial interface he had. He also says› that he modified TEXTPRO to use with› DD3.(See demo). DAN had damaged his› original DIAMOND GOS disk and wanted› a replacement disk. REEVES SOFTWARE› did not answer him. We put out out› the word in our newsletter, and on› the BBS's and one of our ENGLISH› members offered to try to help DAN.› It pays to belong to the OL' HACKERS.› DANIEL also writes among other› things, that in POLAND they make disk› drives for the 8-bit called,› "CALIFORNIA 2000" and the "CALIFORNIA› 2001". He writes that in CHILE there› were 300,000 Atari 8 BIT computers› sold. He says that the 8-Bit is also› strong in HUNGARY and ROMANIA. He has› not yet seen any FALCONS030 in› France.› Our member JIM CUTLER from› England sent us some disks. He said› that the newsletter as always is› great. As far as STEFAN GREGORIO,› JIM's 8-Bit friend in MOSCOW is› concerned, JIM sends him our› newsletter faithfully.› Another letter from JIM CUTLER.› He sent us some disks. One of them is› DESIGN LAB that works with a TOUCH› TABLET. A great program and it is› FAST!!. It is made in Venezuela. Only› the OL' HACKERS with their worldwide› contacts could have gotten this and› many other programs.› JIM CUTLER in yet another› letter, writes that he uses DIAMOND› GOS. and he is looking for accessory› files. He has DIAMOND PAINT and› DIAMOND WRITER and he is looking for› some more DIAMONDS. ALEX answered› that we would be mining for DIAMONDS› in our newsletter and see if we can› come up with some more gems.(grin)› A letter from JOHN JOHNSON our› member from Oregon to BEN POEHLAND.› He said he wants only 3 things from› A.C. 1) Additional reading matter› about our computer. 2) New products› and advertisements about the 8-Bit.› 3) A feeling of consistency. The› newsletters from the OL' HACKERS and› A.A.A.U.G have been very consistent› in their arrival. He hopes that A.C.› will also be very consistent in its› arrival.› BEN answered, the issues JOHN › raised concern him also. The magazine› is an experiment using volunteers and› non professionals. A.C. was› formulated with a commercial add.› content of 10%. We have a new add.› manager BOB SCHOLAR, and it will take› him a while to learn his job. The› point about slow delivery of the› magazine is well taken. The poor mail› performance is the direct reflection› of the 8-bit communities failure to› follow up on its written pledges to› support A.C.(600+ pledges - 200› subscribers at start up). As long as› we use 3d class mail we will have a› delivery problem. The good news is› that we now have over 450 paid› subscribers, and we expect to hit our› goal of 500 soon. › A letter from JOHM MC GOWAN.› JOHN writes us that he is about to› write a program called VCR PLUS› Shareware Program. It is a VCR PLUS› program that lets you program your› VCR+ even if your newspaper does not› print the codes. He will be sending› it to us first. He asks that if you› use his program send him only 1/2 of› the price of a 3 month period that› you would have paid to the 900 number› to get the codes. JOHN is not only a› prolific programmer, but also a true› friend of the OL' HACKERS. Thanks› JOHN!› A message from LOU TRAPANI our› member and SYSOP of the MACHINE› BBS(516) 764-5748. He thanks us for› the support we have shown to his› BBS.› A letter from BRUCE WILLIS of› M.A.G.I.C. of Ames Iowa. He sends us› 2 M.A.G.I.C. DOM disks. he tells us› that he is leaving the 8-bit. BRUCE› will be missed very much. We wish him› well.› Our member CHARLES COLE from› Arizona sent us 20 disks. We thank› CHARLES for the disks. We instructed› our librarian HAROLD (always ready)› PEGLER, to reciprocate.› A letter from our member JOSEPH› HICSWA of Passaic, New Jersey and› President of the J.A.C.G. He wrote to› the POLISH POST EAGLE newspaper which› is distributed throughout the U.S.A.› He said that he wants the POLISH› COMMUNITY to be aware of the computer› clubs such as the J.A.C.G. and the› OL' HACKERS that support the Polandic› traditions.›› DEMOS:› ALEX demoed the HOME FINACIAL› PROGRAM sent to him from a NIEK› VANDERLEE, a Canadian member. It did› not print a hard copy, ALEX modified› it and now it prints a hard copy. A› great program that prints future› investment results and has many many› other features. Disk #219 and #220 in› the library are other financial› programs.› ALEX showed us SIGNMAKER. He› showed us a sample print out. TOM› ANDREWS our member from upstate N.Y.› did some work on this program. It was› also reviewed in the ACE OF SYRACUSE› NEWSLETTER. It is fully documented. A› real terrific sign making program.› BETTER than PRINT SHOP, now also in› our library.› ALEX demoed PRINTSTAR› (PRNTST13.BAS) for our new members› BILL MIDYETTE and JOSEPH PRIMICH.› They came all the way from› Connecticut to attend our meeting. We› were glad to see them. › A hint from ALEX. To print› inverse with a STAR NX printer, type› in this code. [LPRINT CHR$(27);"="].›› A demo by RON FETZER, the upgrade› he did on his 800XL with the ULTRA› SPEED PLUS OPERATING SYSTEM by› Computer Software Services ($69.95).› First of all if you do this› upgrade check to see if your computer› is a HONG KONG made XL. They have› socketed IC. The ones from Taiwan› have soldered in IC. 130 XE also have› soldered IC. You have to change the› O.S. IC. If it is soldered in it can› be a problem if you are not familiar› with de-soldering components. The› ANSWER IS - send your computer to› COMPUTER SOFTWARE SERVICES they will› do the upgrade for you, FREE.› Another point to bring out. The› HONG KONG made 800XL have a very poor› video display because of some› mistakes made at the factory. While› you have your computer open you might› want to correct the mistakes and get› a video display equivalent to a› 130XE. It will cost you about $5.00› in Radio Shack parts. If you want the› instructions please write to me RON› FETZER, 22 MONACO AVE. ELMONT N.Y.› 11003, USA. The upgrade is very› simple to do. It was an article in› CURRENT NOTES by our Pennsylvania› member BEN POEHLAND, when he was 8› BIT Editor. › As for the ULTRA SPEED PLUS› OPERATING SYSTEM upgrade you have to› replace your present O.S. IC with a› new one and do about 6 solder› connections. The instructions are› clear to follow and there is a› diagram to show you what to do.› Now you have a 3 operating› system O.S. in your computer. 1)The› ULTRA SPEED PLUS. 2)The REGULAR 800XL› 3)The OLD 800 O.S. These operating› systems are now switch selectable› with a 3 way switch that gets mounted› in the back of the computer. In› addition at your option you can mount› another switch that lets you select› the RAMDISK as your #1 drive› including the ability to boot from› this disk (provided you loaded a› program or disk into it). RON first› showed the RAM CHECK ROUTINE of the› new system - much better than the› Atari version. It checks the RAM, ROM› and the CIRCUITS very FAST! It has› many features including the ability› to make the RAMDISK any disk you› want. CHANGE your disk drive to any› number from #1 to #9.› It also does a very fast I/O or› format with modified 1050 drives or› Happy drives. It increases the speed› about 3 times, even on Happy› modifications. You can boot a disk› without turning off the computer. You› can toggle ON/OFF BASIC from your› keyboard. You can turn the screen DMA› off for faster execution, you can› turn the key board klick on/off.› There are many other features that› make this upgrade worthwhile.› RON demoed the disk we received› from DANIEL CARRODANO our member from› France. He uses TEXTPRO 2.3r with› DAISY DOT III. It creates 2 Ramdisks.› In one we loaded DDIII inthe other we› load the NLQ fonts. Now you are able› to use TEXTPRO and immediately print› it out in a number of NEAR LETTER› QUALITY FONTS by just pressing START.› FORMIDABLE!!!. If you use TEXTPRO› and if you are the owner of DDIII› this is the disk for you to get, but› you must own DDIII first.› WILLIAM MIDYETTE our new member› from Conn. demoed a FANTASTIC› COMPUTER ASSISTED DESIGN PRORGRAM› (CAD). It was the best that I have› ever seen. It was a program called› SOLID STATES that was modified by› BILL. He modified it so that if you› are plotting with a 1020 plotter, it› plots your image and then you can› bring the paper down and then plot› another image or the same image› slightly set off on top of it. You› can see an image from any angle and› any view that you want. He showed us› a jet fighter and then displayed it› from several viewpoints. It was› awsome! When to program is finished› BILL will write the documentation for› it also.› N.W.P.A.C. send us their Welcome› disk. Side one was like our welcome› disk. Side 2 was very interesting and› very well done. A nice disk.› One of our members DAVE EWENS› from England puts out a newsletter› and disk bi-monthly. We saw the› T.W.A.U.G. March/April newsletter› disk. Great Title page. Great› graphics. It had some great math› games on it for learning the time› tables. We saw a great game called› HOUSA. You have to find out the rules› of the game as you learn to play it.› We also saw one of ALEX'S old› (1987) programs that was on a› M.A.G.I.C. D.O.M. of 9/92 from AMES,› IOWA. A data base and label printing› program. Good programs never die! It› has many other interesting programs› on it. It will be library disk #› 261.› We saw some EXCELL #1 DISK, that› came from Hungary. Unbelievable› graphics! We saw some great games on› the disk. We saw the game SAIGON (a› take off on Q BERT, but better).› There are now 20 EXCELL disks› available. We hope to have them in› our library in the near future. We› saw a game like GALACTIC on the back› of the disk.› We saw a disk called TURBO› ANIMATION, by Dr. IAN CARLSON. The› disk is complete with all the docs. A› great disk to have, and to learn from› It is, Library disk #262.›› DOOR PRIZES:›› RON FETZER› BILL MIDYETTE› HARRY TUTHILL› BOB ULSCHMID›› Submitted by Ron Fetzer› >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>END<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<›