*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*››           NEWSLETTER REVIEWS›             by Alan Sharkis›       OHAUG Newsletter Librarian›› Spring  the  season  of  rebirth, has› sprung.  Atari is no longer under the› heavy thumb of JTS, but will probably› see a rebirth of sorts under its  new› owner,  Hasbro Interactive.  At least› some   of   the  old  games  will  be› reworked and released for the PC  and› for  the  Sony  Playstation.  Whether› the new versions of  the  games  will› bear  the  familiar Fuji trademark or› not remains to be seen.   Whether  or› not  (and  I'm  betting on NOT) there› will be a revival of  Atari  hardware› (for  which  Hasbro  now  holds   the› rights)  also  remains  to  be seen. › When Hasbro acquired what was left of› Atari,  for  the  bargain price of $5› million, and also picked up ten times› that  amount  in  Atari's outstanding› debts, and then stated that it really› doesn't have the resources to produce› hardware,  I  thought  my  hunch  was› correct.  But jiggling around in  the› back  of  my  mind  is  the fact that› Hasbro   also   picked    up    Tiger› Electronics (which manufactures hand-› held games) for ten times  the  price› they  paid  JTS for Atari.  Time will› tell.    Meanwhile,   our   community› continues  along  its  merry way, and› user groups continue to be active  on› the  8-bit  front.   A  rather  large› sample follows:›› LVAUG  News for January/February 1998› -- The LVAUG seems to like reprinting› ZIGGY cartoons.  (Of course, Ziggy is› always  having  amusing  difficulties› with his computer and equally amusing› reactions  to   those  difficulties.)› You'll  find  three of these classics› in this issue, as well as  a  reprint› of  an  ad  from Compute Magazine for› FINAL   ORBIT  by   Sirius  software.› There are also list of Web sites that› offer help with income tax returns, a› reprint of COMPTERS  AND  SOCIETY  by› DAVID  D.  THORNBURG  (Compute,  July› 1983,)  and a rather pessimistic view› of the status of user groups by  JOHN› MORAN  (Hartford  Courant - Allentown› Morning Call, 12/7/97.)  But  for  8-› bit-specific information, you have to› look   at   the   meeting  notes  for› November and December.›› (FR)ANTIC for February 1998 -- MANUEL› GARCIA contributes his experiences on› the Web, looking primarily at foreign› sites.   Below  his  article   is   a› picture  he picked up at one of those› sites -- a picture  of  the  original› Pong game.  Later on, Manuel gives us› a  type-in  program  (reprinted  from› 6/92 (FR)ANTIC) that will  strip  the› "IBM-style"  form-feed  and  carriage› return  characters out of a text file› and   substitute   the   ATASCII  EOF› character.  An article entitled, "Has› The Internet Killed The BBS?" is food› for  considerable  thought.   It  was› written by a former AAAUA member, JOE› BARTH,  who's now the chairman of the› Alamo PC  BBS  Committee.   (I  agree› with  Joe's  conclusions.   There  is› still room for BBSs and they continue› to serve important functions  -- Ed.)› HARRY WOLFERTH, subscribing member of› AAAUA, contributes  Part  II  of  his› series,  "Computers  For  The   Small› Water  System."  In this installment,› Harry reviews  Syncalc,  B-Graph  and› VCR  Titler.   On the back cover is a› list of Atari  1025  Printer  Control› Codes and a BASIC program that uses a› simple     flight     simulator    to› demonstrate how  BASIC  and  Assembly› Language achieve the same goals.›› SCAT  President's  Letter  for Spring› 1998  --  Nick  DiMasi  seems  to  be› president   of  a  very  active  user› group.  They run  a  charity  auction› every  year.   One  of  the   members› bought  an  8-bit ComputerEyes at the› auction and learned it fast enough to› demonstrate  it  at  the next month's› meeting.›› SLCC Journal for March 1998 --  8-bit› software  chairman  BOB  SCHOLAR  was› reported  ill.   We  all  wish  him a› speedy and  complete  recovery.   BOB› WOOLLEY  demonstrated  a 512K ramdisk› on a  single  chip  housed  inside  a› 1200XL.›› The  PACESetter for March, 1998 --TOM› KAUFMAN contributes a cheat sheet for› Zork  I.  A complete list of Atari 8-› bit   power   supply   adaptors   and› transformers,  complete with diagrams› is   assembled    from    information› obtained  from  the  AAAUA   occupies› three    pages.     ROBERT    FASOLDT› continues  his  series   on   "Flight› Simulator II."›› JACG Newsletter for March 1998 -- SAM› CORY has volunteered his services  as› a  ghost  writer  for  the  JACG.  He› will, with facts and  outline  a  JAC› member  presents  to  him,  write  an› article  in  that  member's  name and› never reveal that he did the writing.› Although  Sam outlined what he wished› to do in the last issue of  the  JACG› Newsletter,  it  will be repeated for› the rest of the year.  Of course, Sam› has  also  delighted us with a sample› of his  own  work  on  cloning.   DON› THOMAS,   in   an   article   called,› "CatNips   Epilog,"   describes   his› history  with  Atari.   The story was› downloaded   from   JAGUAR   EXPLORER› ONLINE  and will be serialized in the› JACG Newsletter.  JOE HICSWA  reviews› Shanghi  Dragon Slayer.  He continues› his series  on Flight  Simulator  II.› Joe has also taken to reviewing other› user group newsletters  (PACE,  LVAUG› and  OHAUG)  and  plugging those fine› user groups to his own (Thanks,  Joe!› -- Ed.)  He contributes a fascinating› article   called,   "Mind  Controlled› Computers?????"  Joe suggests in this› article  that  although  a   lot   of› research  and  practical applications› for  those  with  disabiliities  have› come   out   of   using   the  body's› electrical signals to control PCs, we› should be doing the same thing in the› Atari world.  (I concur, Joe.  In  my› volunteer  activities, I see the high› cost of adaptive technology as  being› an  impediment to its more widespread› use.   We  could  cut  that  cost  by› cutting  the  cost  of  the  computer› platform   on  which  it  runs,  now,› couldn't we -- Ed.)›› IMAGE  for  March  1998  --  This  is› always a fascinating newsletter, even› if  it seldom has references to 8-bit› activities.  Lately,  however,  those› references  have  been appearing more› frequently.  In  this  month's  issue› for  example,  mention  is made of an› attempt by "Chuck" (probably  CHARLES› LAMB)  to  get a 130XE to read an IBM› disk, and  "Steve"  (probably  STEPEN› ELEK, JR.) brought in the promotional› demo cartridge  for  the  8-bit,  and› Miner  2049'er.  (I wonder if this is› related   to   the   more    frequent› appearance  of ED BAIZ in the FidoNet› National Atari Echo? -- Ed.)›› XIO3 for March/April 1998 --  ROWLAND› GRANT's  "Atari  News  and   Rumours"› columm details the Hasbro purchase of› Atari from JTS.  In it he states that› Hasbro  stock went up while JTS stock› went   down.   (I  checked;  that  is› continuing as I write this column  --›  Ed.)   Rowland's   "8-bit   Affairs"› column,  he describes how .ATR images› are the backbone of the Pool Disk and› how  he  was  able  to  learn  SIO2PC› quickly  and  use  it to prepare .ATR› files.  He also  states  that  fellow› GCACE  member GORDON HOOPER sent many› .ATRs   of   Bellcom   disks  to  the› SCHREURS BROTHERS for Pool  Disk  II.› ERNEST  SCHREURS,  in  turn, reported› receiveing many files in .DCM format.› He  noted  that  many  of the .DCM to› .ATR  converison  programs  were  not› reliable, so he wrote his  own  after› studying  the  Discomm structure.  At› any rate,  Pool  Disk  II  should  be› coming    out    very    soon.    B&C› COMPUTERVISIONS   has   moved.    (We› already have the new address -- Ed.) › BOB KLAAS announces  that  K-PRODUCTS› has  obtained  the rights to sell the› US Doubler chip for 1050 disk drives.› BOB  PUFF   (CSS)   will   begin   to› manufacture  and  sell  Floppy Boards› for The Black Box again when  he  has› 50 people who wish to order them.  AC› Magazine   will  publish  again,  but› nobody knows when.   New  Atari  User› has  just  published an issue after a› long hiatus.  Larry Serflaten (Childs› Play  Software)  has  advertised  for› Atari 8-bit programmers, stating that› he   knows   a   distributor    who's› interested  in making cartridge games› for the  Atari  8-bit.  Meanwhile,  A› MyDOS  cartridge  and   a   SpartaDos› cartridge have made their appearance.› (The Newsgroup comments on  both  are› not very positive -- Ed.)›› JACG Newsletter for April 1998 -- DON› THOMAS' second installment of CatNips› Epilog appears here, with a third and› final  one  scheduled  for  the  next› issue.    JOE  HICSWA  continues  his› series   on   FLight   Simulator  II,› reviews  the  PACESetter  again,  and› writes a column in apology  over  the› fact that he missed a meeting and how› he perceived that  meeting would  go.› SAM  CORY   writes   an   interesting› article  on  organic  food.   He also› mentions speaking to me and  includes› parts  of our conversation, including› the   joint    OHAUG-LIAUG    meeting› schedule, should JACG members wish to› attend.    He   also   discusses  the› falling price of Internet access.›› IMAGE for April 1998 --  (This  issue› is  labled,  "March  1998,  but it is› clearly April -- Ed.)  ED BIAZ  makes› an    interesting     point.      The› clock/calendar provisions in TOS, the› operating system family  imployed  in› the  STs  and  their  descendents, is› safe beyond the year 2000. TOS 1.0 is› OK  to 2035, and presumably the later› versions will be  fine  beyond  that.› (We    8-bitters   who   use   RTime8› cartridges know that  SpartaDos  3.2G› and  beyond have also fixed the "year› 2000" problem -- Ed.)  Ed also writes› in  detail about the sale of Atari to› Hasbro and what  Hasbro's  plans  for› the  Atari  assets  might be.  In the› Meeting Memo column, Ed reports  that› the  last  meeting was entirely 8-bit› oriented.  Ed, who has been an active› participant  on   FidoNet   recently,› obtained  ANDY  FLOYD's  programs and› gave   them   to   CHARLES   LAMB  to› demonstrate   for   the   club.   The› response by IMAGE  members  was  most› enthusiastic.›› *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*›››