+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ЫЫЫЫ NEWSLETTER REVIEWЫЫ by Alan SharkisЫ OHAUG Newsletter LibrarianЫЫ Looks like I have a pile of reviews Ы to do this month! It's been a coupleЫ of months since I got this many to Ы do, but I think we're getting back Ы into the old routine again.Ы ******Ы Update Atari for January, 1992 has a Ы number of articles of interest to us Ы as a club. First there is an articleЫ by GEORGE IKEN exporessing his Ы opinions on a merger between his clubЫ (HACE) and HASTE. It seems that Ы HASTE (exclusively ST) originally Ы split off from HACE (still supportingЫ both machines) to form a club and Ы that membership has now declined in Ы both clubs. Should they merge or Ы not? George has definite opinions Ы about identifying needs before Ы merging, and I feel that every Atari Ы club member, whatever computer Ы they're using, should read his Ы comments. George has also printed anЫ article on the BASIC Disk Management Ы System (not to be confused with ours)Ы which allows DOS operations from Ы BASIC, and a separate article in Ы which he uses this program as a Ы tutorial in BASIC programming. Ы PHILLIP KEEN reviews the Carina II Ы BBS Version 2.5. He also provides usЫ with the program listing.Ы ******Ы The JACG Newsletter for January, 1992Ы came attached to the February issue, Ы indicating that there had been a gap Ы in publication for a while. It's Ы good to see you back again, JACG! Ы Editor DAVID ARLINGTON pointed out Ы the problems that an editor sometimesЫ has when files are given to him in a Ы format different from the one he usesЫ to assemble the newsletter. He gets Ы articles, for example, in six Ы different 8-bit word-processor Ы formats, and several ST formats as Ы well.Ы ******Ы (It's time to editorialize a bit.) Ы David makes an important point. Ы Writing may be simple for writers whoЫ use a particular word processor, but Ы difficult for the editor to convert Ы to one format. In our own club, whatЫ I give ALEX is in 1st XLENT format, Ы but he doesn't know (and can't tell) Ы where I originally wrote it. Ы Sometimes, if I've done some writing Ы on one of my non-Atari machines, Ы rather than shutting down and bootingЫ 1st XLENT, I'll write the column on Ы that non- Atari machine and then Ы null-modem it to the Atari, save it, Ы and load it into 1ST XLENT. When I Ы do, I have to check it carefully to Ы be sure the conversion was done Ы properly. So, multiply my case Ы (voluntary on my part) by a factor ofЫ at least 11 for the poor editor! ButЫ remember that editors are also ratherЫ selective gluttons for punishment. Ы While they may not enjoy the Ы mechanics of putting together a Ы newsletter, they kind of revel in theЫ NUMBER of articles they can get from Ы members. [Please write!]Ы ******Ы And now, back to JACG Newsletter! Ы JACG was just given, as PD software, Ы the programs Word Magic, Graphic Ы Magic and Spell Magic. Author JIM Ы THOMPSON handed them over to the Ы club. DAVE ARLINGTON runs down some Ы old issues of A.N.A.L.O.G. as an Ы illustration of available and still Ы usable 8-bit software.Ы ******Ы The JACG Newsletter for February, Ы 1992 contains the news that the late Ы KRIS HOLTEGAARD released all of his Ы 8-bit programs into the public Ы domain. Kris was, as we know, quite Ы anxious for Ol' Hackers and JACG to Ы get his files just a few short days Ы before his untimely passing. ED Ы SALVESON describes a program he is Ы writing in BASIC that will generate Ы crossword puzzles on a graphics 8 Ы screen. He desires feedback from theЫ membership about who might want such Ы a program before he will continue. Ы The closure of GEMINI ENTERPRISES is Ы mentioned with much sadness. Such isЫ the sad theme repeated in a few Ы places in this issue.Ы ******Ы The JACG Newsletter for March, 1992 Ы (I told you they would make up for Ы their lag!) DAVID ARLINGTON mentions Ы the fact that Sega Genesis Ы controllers work well with both 8-bitЫ and ST Atari computers. Joe Hicswa Ы gives us a way to run BASIC programs Ы that have been LISTED to disk. SAM Ы CORY writes about the late KRIS Ы HOLTEGAARD and the despair shown by Ы KRIS over apathy among 8-bitters. Ы SAM also tells us that RON RICHIE hasЫ the latest version of TEXTPRO ready Ы to beta test. Our newsletter is Ы mentioned for its great features, Ы lack of ads, and tons of information,Ы as welll as for having a BASIC Ы file or two in each issue. ROGERЫ KELLER has an interesting articleЫ about getting his wife's 500-page Ы dissertation (done on an 8-bit withЫ LJK Letter Perfect) converted soЫ that it could be printed with a moreЫ modern printer. One of the lastЫ pages has, without a word ofЫ explanation, a block diagram of theЫ original 8-bit Atari (I guess itЫ could serve for 400 or 800).Ы ******Ы MilAtari Limited Edition for March, Ы 1992 is a newcomer. It contains no Ы specifically 8-bit articles, but doesЫ contain two articles that are of Ы interest to us all. The first is a Ы biographical sketch of Jack Trameil, Ы seemingly the official release. Ы Then, MICHELLE GROSS writes an Ы article stating how the ST fit her Ы father's needs better than an MS-DOS Ы machine, and that he is very happy Ы with it. Michelle claims not to be Ы bashing MS- DOS and I hereby state Ы that I am not endorsing the ST as an Ы upgrade path for 8-bitters. In my Ы experience, the MS-DOS does some Ы things well, and the 8-bit continues Ы to do everything else well. MichelleЫ makes the point that 8-bitters may Ы consider the MS-DOS something of a Ы "summer home" but that people with noЫ computer experience will have a hard Ы time with it. Both points can be Ы argued. If you have SpartaDos, Ы especially SDX experience, then MS-Ы DOS can indeed be a "summer home"Ы to you. On the other hand, thereЫ are, admittedly kludgy, devices in Ы software to shield the beginner from Ы the cryptic and confusing nature of Ы the MS-DOS operating system, making Ы it almost MAC- or even ST-like! My Ы solution has been to stay with the 8-Ы bit and add the MS-DOS for the few Ы things it does better than the 8-bit Ы so that I can stay in that Ы artificially-induced mainstream out Ы there.Ы ******Ы Nybbles and Bytes for March, 1992 is Ы full, as usual, of interesting 8-bit Ы information. Read vice-president Ы MERLE BARNES' article, "What's In It Ы For Me" when you get a chance. Also Ы notice that the North West Phoenix Ы Atari Connection's D.O.M.for Ы February, 1992 is our Jan/Feb Ы newsletter. You may also wish to seeЫ a reprint of JEFF POTTER's article onЫ the Chicago Atarifest if you didn't Ы see the original in AIM. CHARLES Ы LAKE compares Print Shop and Print Ы Power. There are also hints for Ы commercial games and other items of Ы interest.Ы ******Ы The SAGE Scroll for March, 1992 Ы contains several pieces of 8-bit Ы information. 8-bit Librarian ADAM Ы CONOVER has put together a disk of a Ы sound digitizing program and a Ы program that converts sound files Ы from ST, MAC, Amiga, etc., formats. Ы Plans for building the hardware Ы necessary are also included. Ы Instructions for a graphics demo and Ы how to set up a 16K ramdisk in an Ы 800XL appear elsewhere in the Ы newsletter, as well as a reprint of Ы STAN SCHENFELD's article on the Ы POSITION statement in BASIC. RON Ы FETZER's article on The Programming Ы Kit is also reprinted.Ы ******Ы The W.A.N.D. for March/April, 1992 Ы begins with a reprinted of GERRY Ы STOTTS' article on repairing XL/XE Ы keyboards. A second reprint (this Ы time from our March/April newsletter)Ы of KEVIN PACKARD's (WNYAUG) article Ы on the CX-85 Keypad is followed by Ы ROLLY HERMAN's article on modifying Ы that keypad. Rolly also brings us Ы information on the Atari keyboards. Ы There is a reprint of a JOHN COLLINS Ы (Nybbles and Bytes, July/August 1991)Ы Draw and Quartered article. Several Ы more articles on numeric keypads and Ы a review of Billboard by NICOLS J. Ы Cup of ACORN with a follow-up by Ы ROLLY HERMAN fill out the issue.Ы ******Ы The ACE of Syracuse Newsletter (no Ы date, possibly March, 1992) has a Ы printed demo and review of TypesetterЫ by VERNON H. SMITH and an expression Ы of sympathy on the passing of KRIS Ы HOLTEGAARD by fellow programmer and Ы corresponding member of OL' HACKERS, Ы TOM ANDREWS.Ы ******Ы (FR)ANTIC for April, 1992 is packed! Ы President ALVAN SHERRILL's Beginner'sЫ Column deals with the limitations Ы (what?!!!) of our 8-bits. Of course,Ы he is speaking of the greatest numberЫ of significant digits the computer Ы will handle, how the computer Ы expresses these in scientific Ы notation, and like topics. Ы Subscribing member JAMES S. MARTIN Ы writes about Pride in the Atari Ы Classic. ED HALL, another Ы corresponding member and prolific Ы writer talks about using Ataris for Ы profit. It's an utterly fascinating Ы article. Jack Lee brings us a Ы wonderful little gem entitled, "The Ы Owl, The Rat, and the Hacker." Ы THELMA SUNVISON is on her "soapbox" Ы again, and makes some excellent Ы points about the AAAUA.Ы ****** The L.V.A.U.G. News forЫ April, 1992 reprints a Z*NET articleЫ from January opposing theЫ Telecommunications Act of 1991. Ы It's important to read this article,Ы and I urge all of our members to doЫ so. There is also a reprint of anЫ article on eyestrain and computerЫ use that was reproduced fromЫ (FR)ANTIC in July, 1991 and Ы originally appeared in ST Report Ы Online Magazine in August of 1990. Ы JIM HARRIS reviews BobTerm 1.21 (the Ы article is reprinted from LIAUG Ы LightHouse of July, 1991). Part II Ы of MICHAEL STOLIKER's series of Ы Sparta Tutorials is also reprinted.Ы ******Ы PSAN for April/May, 1992 contains theЫ third part of KIT CARSON's Ы (S*P*A*C*E) review of programs on Ы cassette from Europe. Kit warns us Ы that the cassettes will probably haveЫ trouble with the 400/800 OS and that Ы loading instructions are incorrect, Ы but that the games are quite good. HeЫ goes on to review Mr. Robot and His Ы Robot Factory and Stratosphere. the Ы OnLine Echoes column features THIS Ы WEEK IN ATARI HISTORY by RON KOVACS Ы and is an interesting look back.Ы ******Ы The MUG Newsletter for May, 1992 Ы contains the Atari News produced by Ы NAPCO. This month, there are hints Ы on using MyCopyR from ED HALL of Ы Canada and KEN WICKERT (ACE of Ы Syracuse), a reprint of the Mail Ы Merge column from JIMMY BOYCE's Ы (CACE) series on AtariWriter+, and Ы THOMAS J. ANDREWS' (ACE of Ы Syracuse and OL'H)article onЫ Assemblers- Interpreters andЫ Compilers.Ы ******Ы The SLCC Journal for May, 1992 Ы features a Bob Wooley hack that will Ы thrill those of us who fool with hardЫ drives. Bob uses his upgraded 1MEG Ы 1200XL to access (believe it or not) Ы an IDE hard drive! The job isn't Ы quite finished, but Bob believes heЫ can make it work.Ы ******Ы Finally-the JACG Newsletter Ы (what, them again!) for May, 1992Ы features JOSEPH E. HICSWA's articleЫ which describes what he learnedЫ about using the COLOR command inЫ graphics mode 0 by re-reading YourЫ Atari Computer by LON POOLE. AЫ miniprogram listing is included. Ы Joe also shows us how to split textЫ files that are too long to be loadedЫ into memory in another article and,Ы yes, another program listing.ЫЫ **** END ***ЫЫЫ