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SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. September 02, 1994 No. 1036 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International Online Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano Publisher-Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS Network System * THE BOUNTY BBS * ITCNet 85:881/253 JAX HUB ~ FNET 350 ~ Nest 90:301/3 904-786-4176 MULTI-NODE 24hrs-7 days 2400-115.2 bps V.32-34 v.42 bis 28.8 Hayes Optima 28.8 V.FC Data/FAX USRobotics Dual Standard 28.8 V.FC Ready Fax FAX: 904-783-3319 12am-6am EST ----------------------------------------- Fido 1:374/147.3 The Bounty STR Support Central 1-904-786-4176 FNET. 620 : Leif's World ................1-904-573-0734 FNET. 690 : PASTE BBS....................1-206-284-8493 FNET. 489 : Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 MNET - Toad Hall BBS.....................1-617-567-8642 ______________________________________________________________________ > 09/02/94 STR 1036 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!" """"""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - Samsung 256mb DRAM - EditPro Review - ZEOS - New Notebook - Stylus 800 Overview - Pirate BBS Hit by FBI - Diamond Multimedia - Sirius CD-ROM Deal - EcoQuest Review - CAF Show Report - Action Laser 1600 - Jaguar NewsWire -* FEWER PCS IN U.S.A. HOMES? *- -* ALR 1st 100MHZ PENTIUMS! *- -* WATKINS GETS DVORAK AWARD! *- ========================================================================== STReport International Online Magazine The Original * Independent * Online Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS - The Bounty BBS, invites all BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the ITC/PROWL/USENET/NEST/F-Net/Fido Mail Networks. You may also call The Bounty BBS direct @ 1-904-786-4176. Enjoy the wonder and excitement of exchanging all types of useful information relative to all computer types, worldwide, through the use of excellent International Networking Systems. SysOps and users alike worldwide, are welcome to join STReport's International Conferences. ITC Node is 85:881/250, The Fido Node is 1:374/147.3, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. ========================================================================== CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ PROWL ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ FNET ~ AOL ========================================================================== COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; STREPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be online in no time at all! "Enjoy CompuServe's forums; where information is at its very best! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" The last big weekend of the summer.... I know I'll be BBQing and knocking down the suds. How about you? Hmm come to think of it, please don't drink and drive. I hate the thought of one of my readers becoming a nasty statistic. Have a great three day weekend. This week's issue is a bit different in that we are inagurating a new feature. We'll be spotlighting notable, deserving sysops from the online services. Those sysops who personify the golden "transparency" rule. These fine people deserve our recognition. So... at least once a month, we'll feature putting one of the sysops we all know under the spotlight. If you have a suggestion, let us know. Ralph.... """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher -Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano Lloyd E. Pulley, Editor, Current Affairs Section Editors """"""""""""""" PC SECTION AMIGA SECTION MAC SECTION ATARI SECTION ---------- ------------- ----------- ------------- R.D. Stevens R. Niles J. Deegan D. P. Jacobson STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Michael Arthur John Deegan Brad Martin John Szczepanik Paul Guillot Joseph Mirando Doyle Helms Frank Sereno John Duckworth Jeff Coe Steve Keipe Guillaume Brasseur Melanie Bell Jay Levy Jeff Kovach Marty Mankins Carl Prehn Paul Charchian Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Tim Holt Norman Boucher Clemens Chin Eric Jerue Ron Deal Mike Barnwell Ed Westhusing Glenwood Drake Vernon W.Smith Bruno Puglia Paul Haris Kevin Miller Craig Harris Allen Chang Dominick J. Fontana IMPORTANT NOTICE """""""""""""""" Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: Compuserve................... 70007,4454 America Online..................STReport Delphi......................... RMARIANO BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET..................... 1:347/147.3 FNET........................... NODE 350 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 GEnie......................... ST-REPORT Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM STReport, with its policy of not accepting any paid advertising, has over the years developed the reputation of "saying it like it really is". When it comes to our editorials, product evaluations, reviews and over-views, we shall always keep our readers interests first and foremost. With the user in mind, STReport further pledges to maintain the reader confidence that has been developed over the years and to continue "living up to such". All we ask is that our readers make certain the manufacturers, publishers etc., know exactly where the information about their products appeared. In closing, we shall arduously endeavor to meet and further develop the high standards of straight forwardness our readers have come to expect in each and every issue. The Staff & Editors """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STR INDUSTRY REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS """"""""""""""""""" IBM/POWER-PC/PC SECTION (I) =========================== Computer Products Update - CPU Report ------------------------ ---------- Weekly Happenings in the Computer World Issue #36 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* ** 'Land Warrior' System Planned ** Motorola's Government and Systems Technology Group (GSTG) says it has been awarded a contract worth up to $44 million from the Department of Defense to create the 21st Century Land Warrior Generation II Soldier system. Motorola describes the Generation II Soldier as a "head-to-toe fighting system" with data, communication and protective equipment designed for ground forces. It will have night vision, "friend or foe" identification and enemy position knowledge, as well as many other capabilities that are designed to give soldiers enhanced fighting and survival ability. ** AT&T Drops Sega Modem Project ** AT&T Corp.'s consumer products unit is backing away from a leap into the video game market, cancelling a plan to offer computer modems that simultaneously transmit voice and data for the Sega Enterprises Ltd Sega Genesis video game platform. The unit also said it had no plans to build similar equipment for 3DO Co.'s video game multiplayer system and that it remains committed to providing consumers with products that allow them to use their tele- phones in new ways. ** DEC Claims First in LAN Chip ** Computer maker Digital Equipment Corp. says its Digital Semiconductor unit is offering the world's first PCI (peripheral components inter connect) fast Ethernet local area network controller chip. Reports say that the chip is designed to link computers based on the PCI bus to high-speed LANs. ** WordPerfect Ships GroupWise 4.1 ** Novell's WordPerfect subsidiary says its new GroupWise 4.1 software will be available on retail shelves beginning next week. GroupWise 4.1, the upgrade to WordPerfect Office 4.0, is a network based messaging product. It combines electronic mail, personal calendar, group scheduling, task management, rules-based message management and workflow routing into a single application. A GroupWise 4.1 Client/Administration Pack, which includes five licenses, costs $695. ** Aldus Ships First Kids' Program ** Aldus Corp.'s Consumer Division is shipping its first children's software title, Aldus Art Explorer. The Macintosh painting and drawing application is designed for kids ages nine to 14. Based on the Aldus SuperPaint program, it provides a new easy-to-use user interface and thousands of clip art images. The software also includes special effects tools, fonts and sounds. The program is expected to have a street price of $49.95. ** Sony Creating Online Stock Link ** An online financial trading system to be used on personal communica- tors is the goal of a new venture announced by Sony Software Corp. and PC Financial Network. The new system, will enable investors to place trades and receive portfolio information on hand-held devices that combine cellular phones with computer-like functions. The first communicators, under development by General Magic Inc., are expected to reach consumers later this year. General Magic has signed agreements with Sony, Motorola Inc. and other companies to produce the devices. Reports say the planned system will allow mobile retail investors to place trades, receive execution reports and get real-time quotes, per- sonal portfolio information and individually tailored news and portfolio alerts. ** TI Offers New Color Notebook ** Texas Instruments Inc. has rolled out its TravelMate 4000M/75 Dual Scan Color as the newest entry in its TravelMate 4000M Series of multimedia notebooks. The system, which will cost about $4,800, includes a 75MHz Intel Corp. DX4 processor, a 9.5-inch dual scan display and a 455MB disk drive. It also has built-in multimedia capabilities that include a 16- bit sound card and an internal speaker and microphone. The system is supposed to be available next month through the TI's dealers and distributors network. ** ALR First with 100MHz Pentiums ** Advanced Logic Research Inc. says it's the first manufacturer to ship 100MHz Pentium-based servers. The company's new symmetrical multiprocessor file servers are the Revolution MP and Revolution Q-SMP, which are capable of handling up to two or four 100MHz Pentium processors, respectively. "ALR is accepting orders and shipping 100MHz ALR Pentium Revolution file-servers. However, the gating factor for volume shipments will depend on Intel's production ramp of 100MHz Pentium processors," says Dave Kirkey, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at ALR. ** Zeos Offers New Notebook ** Zeos International Ltd. this week released the latest and faster of its smaller systems, the Meridian 800C Color notebook. Incorporating many of the components of the Meridian 400C subnotebook released earlier this month, the 800C includes a choice of 486SX-33, 486DX2-50 and DX4-100 Intel microprocessors and a backlit screen that is 10.3 inches on the diagonal with up to 256 colors. The 6.3-pound unit, which has a starting price of $2,295, also in- cludes high-speed local bus video for super-fast video performance and comes with 4 or 8MB of memory user upgradable to 20MB and removable hard drives from 175 to 350MB. ** Ink Jet Printer Prices Falling ** Observers watching the printer market say the prices are tumbling, prompting consumer interst to shift especially to ink jet printers. "This is absolutely a price war (and) the only one who'll win is the consumer," said Marco Boer, manager of printer research at International Data Corp. Competition in terms of both price and quality is stiff, he added, making buying decisions all the more difficult. Canon Computer Systems Inc. is set to introduce a new ink jet printer that will retail for less than $500, which is considered by analysts a threshold for consumers. The new Canon BJC-4000 offers both high-resolution black-and- white and color capabilities. It is priced at about the same level as Canon's BJC-600 color printer, whose price tag was cut this month. Both printers are part of Canon's Bubble Jet family. At Hewlett-Packard, manager Andy Tallian of HP's U.S. Deskjet market- ing declined to discuss whether the firm will take Canon's cue and cut prices on its comparable DeskJet 560C model, but analysts say that they expect the company, as well as other printer makers to follow suit before long. ** Samsung Develops 256-Meg DRAM ** Samsung Electronics Co. says it has developed the world's first 256- megabit DRAM (dynamic random-access memory) chip, suited for use in the main memory in computers and high-performance workstations. Samsung officials said it could be commercially producing the chip, which can store data equivalent to the content of about 2,000 standard newspaper pages, as early as 1997. The company, which accounts for about 10% of the world memory chip market, says in a statement that development of the 256-megabit DRAM will ensure Samsung remains an industry leader "at least until early in the next century." Samsung Electronics, which developed a 64-megabit DRAM in August 1992, has exported about $2.5 billion worth of memory chips in the first six months of this year. ** Diamond Ships Multimedia Kits ** Diamond Multimedia Systems Inc. has announced its first PC multimedia upgrade kits. The Diamond Multimedia Kit 1000 and Diamond Multimedia Kit 5000 offer 30 software titles, double or quad-speed CD-ROM drives, a 16-bit sound cards, speakers, headphones and a microphone. Each kit also provides simplified installation by incorporating an instructional video, step-by-step installation photographs and automatic setup software. The kits reference titles include Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, Family Doctor and PC Globe Maps 'n' Facts. Games such as Myst, Sim City 2000, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? and Mega Race, are also included. The kits include Diamond's 16-bit, FM synthesis, wave table- upgradeable stereo sound card and a pair of magnetically shielded speakers. The Diamond Multimedia Kit 1000 costs $399; the Diamond Multimedia Kit 5000 sells for $599. ** VirusScan 2.1 Released ** McAfee Associates has introduced VirusScan 2.1, an upgrade of its famed anti-virus software for network workstations and stand-alone desktops. In a statement McAfee says the $129.99 software now features its first fully integrated Windows interface. "The new interface design insulates novice users from the previous version's command line interface, simplifying commands and reducing keystrokes," the statement says. "For VirusScan power users who still prefer to work from the command line, McAfee has added 15 new and improved command line options, bringing the total number of options up to 31." McAfee also says VirusScan now holds a 67 percent marketshare. ** Study Shows Fewer PCs in U.S. Homes ** The number of personal computers in U.S. households may be much lower than previously thought, according to the largest, independent study of PC market penetration. Odyssey Homefront, a market research firm, said only 27% of U.S. homes have a PC, not the 33 to 34% others have estimated. "And that includes both Commodore 64s in the closet and the latest in multimedia Macs," said Nick Donatiello, president of Odyssey The definitive survey was based on a random-digit-dial, computer- generated sample of 1,500 consumers that closely matches the U.S. census. "Perhaps most important, consumer indications of purchasing plans reveal that it is unlikely that market penetration will break 30% by early 1995, " Donatiello said. "That could be bad news for CD-ROM title developers and online services who are betting on explosive growth of the home PC market." Many technology companies have been planning for a booming holiday buying season and basing their forecasts on existing market penetration numbers derived from manufacturers' estimates, distribution-channel volumes or surveys based on samples that are not representative of the country as a whole. According to Odyssey, these measurements are inherently inaccurate because it is impossible to know the percentage of shipments or sales which are for at-home use. Some facts and figures from the Odyssey survey include these findings: -:- 83% of households without PCs say they are not at all likely to purchase a new computer within the next six months. -:- 5% of PC households report they are extremely likely to buy a new PC within the next six months. -:- Of the 73% of households who do not have PCs, 4% say they are extremely likely to buy a new one in the next six months. -:- 6% of U.S. households have PCs with CD-ROM drives, representing nearly one-quarter of PC-owning households. Many of these are single speed and may frustrate consumers who try to run the latest titles. -:- Among PC owners who do not have CD-ROM drives, 82% indicate that they are very unlikely to purchase a PC CD-ROM drive in the next six months. -:- In the last three months, PC CD-ROM owners purchased an average of 2.3 titles. However, 41% of them did not buy any titles during that period. -:- The average number of titles that households with PCs and CD-ROM drives expect to purchase within the next six months is 2.8. This translates into about 17 million titles over this period, although consumers often exaggerate their intent to purchase. -:- 63% of households that own a PC use it for business, with 5% of these households using their PC exclusively for business. -:- 40% of households report that their PC is kept in the home office or the den; 17% report their PC is in an adult's bedroom; 12% in the family room; 8% in the living room; 4% in a child's bedroom; 3% in the kitchen. ** Davey Jones BBS Raided by FBI ** Massachusetts authorities are saying 43-year-old Richard D. Kenadek may be the first computer bulletin board system operator to be indicted for alleged federal copyright infringement. Kenadek was arrested this week after the FBI raided his Millbury, Massachusetts, home from which he operated the Davey Jones Locker BBS. He was charged with conspiracy and criminal copyright infringement. He also has been sued by the Software Publishers Association trade group, which cooperated with federal authorities in the investigation. Reports say, "The charges stem from Kenadek's operation of a large- scale computer bulletin board from his residence, which was connected by telephone wires to other computer users nationally and internationally. According to the indictment, Kenadek solicited subscribers who, for a fee, could download commercial copyrighted software packages, without paying the owners of the software for the use of their copyrighted programs." The indictment also alleges Kenadek asked subscribers to upload additional copyrighted software to the board. If convicted, Kenadek faces up to six years in prison and fines of $275,000. In addition, copyright law calls for forfeiture of all computer equipment used in the operation of the copyright infringement activity. And if the SPA wins its civil suit, Kenadek could be ordered to pay up to $100,000 per copyrighted title infringed. More than 200 copyrighted programs were available on the BBS at the time of the FBI's raid, according to Sandra A. Sellers, the SPA's director of litigation. U.S. Attorney Donald K. Stern said, "The pirating of commercial software through the operation of clandestine computer bulletin boards seriously jeopardizes the investment of money and personnel which software companies put into the development of new programs. We need to be clear: pirating is illegal. In this new electronic environment, it is increasingly difficult to protect legitimate intellectual property rights." ___________________________________________ > DVORAK AWARD STR Spotlight A highly Coveted Prize indeed! """""""""""""""""""""""""" DON WATKINS HONORED with 1994 PC Telecommunications Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award Sysops are a rare breed indeed. Many, not all, but many are truly the unsung heros of the telcomm world. Often blasted for not putting a file out for d/l fast enough, berated for having exercised a bit too much control in a message base or for offering a differing opinion, they continue to relentlessly "do the job". They continually keep the message and file areas going smoothly while maintaining a high degree of transparency. That folks, is the mark of the truly professional sysop. Don W. Watkins of IBMNET certianly fits the description to a tee. The following is an account of his receiving the highly prestigious and well deserved PC Telecommunications Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award. *** AUSTIN, TX; Don Watkins, an independent computer management consultant and IBMNET SYSOP, was recently named the recipient of the 1994 Dvorak Telecommunications Award for Lifetime Achievement for his contributions in the industry. Watkins, 42, is the president and CEO of Madera Software Group. He also developed and manages the IBMNET area of CompuServe Information Service. Created in 1984, IBMNET has grown steadily to serve over 3,000 information exchanges per day. Watkins was honored with the Dvorak Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in the development and growth of IBMNET for personal computer users. The award is sponsored annually by columnist John C. Dvorak to acknowledge those who have made significant contributions in the field of computer communications. According to Dvorak, Watkins was honored for his, "vision and commitment to telecommunications and online activities which have helped increase the vibrant, expanding network of ideas and information that exist today." Watkins began working with computers during his career in the banking industry in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1970s. After the introduction of the IBM PC in 1982, he went on to develop various software products and participate in the development of the first CompuServe navigation program for the PC. "When it comes to name recognition on CompuServe, few surpass Don Watkins," reported author Harry Green in a recent CompuServe Magazine article. "He is the king of the PC answer people. IBMNET is where members gravitate when they need assistance with PC problems." Watkins was presented the award during the Online Networking Exposition and Bulletin Board System Convention in Atlanta August 20. "I'm honored my peers in this field have seen fit to recognize my work," Watkins commented. "I feel fortunate that my vision for the IBM Users Network was accepted by CompuServe and by so many PC users. It's gratifying to know IBMNET helps others get the most from their personal computers." Growing from one to 24 forums at present, IBMNET offers message exchange and extensive software libraries where members can download first-rate shareware and vendor-supplied programs. IBMNET is available exclusively through CompuServe, Inc. For additional information on becoming a member of CompuServe and utilizing the services of IBMNET, call 1-800-524-3388 and ask for operator 549. **** Introductory comments by John C. Dvorak about Don W. Watkins, Winner of the 1994 PC Telecommunications Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award. Atlanta, GA. August 20, 1994. Don Watkins is an entrepreneurial computer marvel. He has assisted with the formation of and cofounded several PC users groups, bulletin boards and services including IBMNET. For over a decade, Don has been quietly contributing to PC Telecommunications and the online community. Since 1984, Don has developed and marketed forums for the IBM Users' Network on CompuServe. After purchasing a PC and modem and wanting to interact with other users he logged onto CompuServe, had a vision of what this virutual space should look like, and sold CompuServe on the idea. He is currently the chief Sysop for these areas. Don participated in the formation of the Marin-Sonoma PC Users Group and the Bay Area Sysop organization. Don developed the IBMNET family of forums and the PC Vendor forums on CompuServe. He also has been associated with Autosig, the original CompuServe navigation program for the PC. A native of Houston, TX, Don currently lives with his wife Cassandra and their son Joshua in Autin, Texas. At times calling Georgia and California home, Don has worked in the banking and computer fields all his profession life doing stints with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and servicing as Vice President for WestAmerica Bank. -------------------- Remarks from John C. Dvorak appearing in the One BBSCON 1994 Program Guide regarding the Dvorak Awards for Achievements in Telecommunications: ..I've chosen ONE BBSCON as the event in which to award the true movers and shakers a token of recognition which they richly deserve. Each year we've isolated the geniuses and pioneers who have made telecommunicaitons the most exciting single aspect of personal and desktop computing. Other remarks appearing in program guide (not attributed to John): Together, Mr. Dvorak and Hayes Microcomputer Products are pleased to present the 3rd Annual Dvorak Telecommunications Awards to honor the pioneers whose vision and commitment to telecommunications and BBS conferencing has helped to increase the vibrant and growing marketplace of ideas and information that exist today. *** Below appears a transcript of Don's acceptance speech. I'm a sysop. It's great to say that in a room where people actually understand what it means. I remember saying it in front of an audience a dozen years ago and not only did they not understand, they wanted me investigated by a grand jury because they were sure I was doing something illegal! It is with great pride that I accept the 1994 Dvorak Telecommunications Award for Lifetime Achievement. To be recognized by my peers in this manner is an exception honor. I'd like to take this opportunity to achnowledge the people who have helped make this possible through their support over the years. First off, thanks to John Dvorak, Nick Anis and Hayes Microcomputer for bringing us together for these ceremonies this evening. Thanks to Jack Rickard and Phil Becker of One, Inc for joining us in real space. I know how difficult it can be in cyberspace, and I can't image the amount of work they do to make it all happen. I haven't seen a sense of community at a trade show since the early days of the West Coast Computer Fair. A special thanks to CompuServe for having faith and being an outstanding business parter and landlord. I'm not Microsoft or a big company and they took a leap of faith at giving me a chance. I have many associate sysops without whom IBMNET simply wouldn't be possible. The list is too long to read, but they know I appreciate each and every one of them and couldn't get along otherwise. I strongly believe IBMNET is the sum total of its members and is is those members who are its strengths....from beginners struggling to master ZIP files to those who can look at a chip and tell you its contents...in binary. They certainly share this great honor, as they and my associates are the backbone of IBMNET. This award is made even more special to me because of its previous recipients: Dennis Hayes and Ward Christensen. A dozen years ago when I plugged in my first smartmodem and transferred my first file I knew that at that moment, my life had changed. One of the highest compliments I know is telling someone they've made a difference. And guys, you have indeed made a difference. I only hope I can live up to the examples you have set. Perhaps because of the media attention to the "Information Superhighway" or just because a lot more people are experincing cyberspace I'm asked a lot about predictions. I'm not sure how good my perspective is...sitting in the middle of a construction zone isn't always the best way to tell how a building will turn out and I'll leave predictions to John, that's his job. But I do have my opinions. Doubtless some of them will turn out to be as fanciful as those in the 50's era of Popular Mechanics look today. Others may be more accurate. But regardless, I have no doubt that we're going to continue to live in interesting times....and it's going to be fun. Again, thank you all. A little bit about Don; Personal information: Don W. Watkins Date of birth: 4/4/52 Place of birth: Pasadena, TX. Currently resides in Austin, TX. Professional history: 1983 to present - IBMNET - CompuServe. Independent consulting 1973 to 1983 - WestAmerica Bank, Vice President, Project Management 1972 to 1973 - Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Manager, Budget and Expenditures Department Associations/Groups (professional): Association of Shareware Professionals Various Residents: Texas, California, Georgia Outside interest: Running, painting, reading and cinema Martial status; married to Cassandra Watkins. Children: Joshua Watkins Don's interest in computers led to his participation in the development of the first CIS navigation program for the PC. After purchasing a PC and modem and wanting to interact with other users he logged onto CompuServe. He had a vision of what this virtual space should look like and sold CompuServe on the idea. Since 1984 he has developed and marketed forums for the IBM Users Network on CompuServe. He is currently the chief Sysop for these highly popular and extremely active areas. In STReport's opinion, Don Watkins is a true telcom professional but even more than that... he's a pioneer in the world we are zipping along in. A world we like to call CyberSpace. Thanks Don, for a job well done. Please look for Don's picture included in this issue as a .gif file. ____________________________________ > ECOQUEST STR Review """"""""""""""""""" ECOQUEST I ========== Kids' Computing Corner ---------------------- by Frank Sereno EcoQuest I is a game from Sierra On-line for IBM compatible computers. This game is intended for children ages ten and up. It is intended to teach children (and adults) about marine ecology, the harm caused by our careless pollution and methods we can use to clean up the oceans and our environment. The EcoQuest CD-rom contains both the MS-DOS and Windows MPC versions of the game but in play-testing I could find no real difference between the versions. This review will be on the MPC CD-rom version which requires a CD-rom drive, MS-Dos 5.0 or higher, Windows 3.0 or higher, a 386SX or better CPU, two megabytes of ram, VGA graphics and a sound card with a DAC chip for producing digitized sounds. The test machine was a 386DX-40 with eight megabytes of ram running Windows 3.1 with a Diamond Stealth VRAM video card and a Sound Blaster Pro audio card. EcoQuest is an interactive story in which you choose the actions for the main character. The story is linear in nature as you must complete certain tasks to do other tasks later. Actions in one scene of the program may have an impact on your ability to complete other tasks in later scenarios. In this story you control Adam Greene, a ten-year-old boy. His mother passed away when he was very young. Adam's father, Noah Greene, is an ecologist who specializes in removing oil pollution from the oceans. Adam and his father move quite frequently and they have just arrived at their new home on St. Julien in the Caribbean. Adam's father has a marine lab which has a new resident, a dolphin which was injured in a driftnet. Your adventure truly begins when you guide Adam to play with the recovering Dolphin. Gradually you will be drawn into an adventure to save the great whale king, Cetus, and to aid the residents of Eluria, a wondrous undersea city filled with magic. Along the way you will learn about the ocean environment and the creatures who reside in the seas. Gameplay is accomplished by moving Adam about the various screens and using icons to examine and manipulate different items within the screens. Play is most easily accomplished by using a two-button mouse. The right button cycles through several cursors and the left button is used to activate the cursor on the screen. By moving the cursor to the top of the screen, an icon bar is activated which contains icons which are similar in appearance and activate the corresponding cursors. The cursors can be moved around the screen with the arrow keys and its actions can be started by pressing the enter key. First is a walk icon which shows a walking figure. This moves the character around the screen. The walk cursor can be clicked at the exact location you wish the character to travel. When Adam is in water, the walk icon and cursor are replaced with a swimming figure. The look icon is an eye which allows you to look at creatures and objects on the screen. With the look cursor, the cursor becomes an eye and you merely click on any objects you wish to examine. You must look at everything carefully to not miss any clues or important items. The action icon is in the shape of a hand. Use this icon to perform various actions such as opening a door. The action cursor is in the shape of a hand with the index finger extended. Again, the cursor is used to do actions. Click the hand on a door to open it or click on an object to pick it up. The talk icon allows the player to engage in conversations with the characters in the story. Choose the character to whom you wish to talk by moving the cartoon voice bubble over him and then press the enter key or click the left mouse button. Much information can be learned from talking to the characters. Sometimes, you will hear some very bad fish jokes. The inventory icon brings up an inner view of Adam's backpack which contains all the useful items you have collected during the game. You can choose which item you wish to use on an object on the screen. You can even combine some inventory items to make new items. Next is the garbage bag icon. Adam should collect all the useless garbage he finds in this bag for later recycling and disposal. Just move the garbage bag cursor over an item that must be removed and click the left mouse button or press the enter key. The control icon is next. There is no control cursor. Activating the control icon places the game in pause mode. In the control panel, you can set game speed for the animations, set the level for the background music (but not for voices) and adjust the level of game detail. From this icon you also choose whether to listen to the characters speak or to read their dialog or both. Finally, this is where the player can save, restore and quit the game. When saving game, you can use several words to describe your game situation rather than an eight-letter filename. The final icon is the information icon. Choosing this icon changes the cursor into a question mark. Clicking the cursor over each icon will result in an explanation of that icon. EcoQuest uses beautiful, hand-painted 256-color backgrounds. Many animations are used. Most of them are very smooth. When characters speak, they are shown in a small window but the lips do not always sync exactly with the voice tracks. The voice characterizations are quite clear. However, these characterizations are sometimes lacking in emotion. The music is good but it can get tiresome after some time. The interface is the Sierra standard click-and-point type. Play value is very good if your family enjoys solving puzzles. It will probably take between five and ten hours to complete the quest. I found that my four-year-old and six-year-old sons enjoyed helping me play. Educational value is excellent. The entire family can learn bits about Greek mythology, recycling, oceanography, fighting pollution and more. Bang for the buck is very good. This package can be found at various discounters for $15 or less. Graphics ............ 8.5 Sounds .............. 8.5 Interface ........... 8.0 Play Value .......... 8.5 Educational Value ... 9.0 Bang for the Buck ... 9.0 Average ............. 8.58 Have you reviewed some software for your local users group? Would you like to reach a worldwide audience? Send submissions to me at the addresses listed below. You will be given credit in the title for each review! Fidonet: Frank Sereno at 1:2235/10 Internet: frank.sereno@uti.com U.S. Postal: Frank Sereno 528 West Ave. Morris, IL 60450-1768 I just ordered the upgrade for Print Shop Deluxe version 2.0. I decided to get the CD-rom Ensemble which includes the Print Shop Companion and several graphics packages. The cost was $49.99. I also ordered the Dynamic Dinos package of graphics at $19.99 because both of my children love dinosaurs. You can get the floppy upgrade of Print Ship Deluxe for $15. You may contact Broderbund at 800-423-9999 to order. You must be a registered owner of Print Shop Deluxe to take advantage of this offer. And I thank you for reading! __________________________________________ > DVORAK FORUM CHANGES STR InfoFile And... Training Video READY! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" DVORAK FORUM REORGANIZATION TO TAKE PLACE ----------------------------------------- At Midnight, September 7th, the Dvorak forum will switch over to 24 sections. We will be adding and rearranging sections and libraries as well. For information on the new forum structure, please see the file FORUM.TXT in LIB 1. DVORAK Forum Section & Lib list Active as of 9-8-94, @ 2:00am, MDT # Section Name Library Name Type Notes --- ------------------- -------------------- ------ --------------- 0 NavCIS Beginners Uploads to Dvorak Public Upload here 1 Non-tech support Free Software Open SE & TE sftware 2 Windows SE/TE help Windows SE/TE files Public Windows 3 Fragen in Deutsch Deutsch files Public GERMAN language 4 Windows Pro help Windows Pro Public Windows 5 DOS NavCIS help DOS NavCIS files Public DOS 6 Node & logon help Node/Logon scripts Public 7 Modems & Hardware Modems-Hrdwre files Public 8 Suggestions Suggestion files Public 9 Tips & Techniques Advncd NavCIS files Public NavPal 10 Ten-Forward Ten-Forward files Public Fun/Cool stuff 11 Reserved 12 Reserved 13 3rd Party products 3rd Prty prod files Public NavCIS add-ons 15 NavCIS Pro Upgrades Pro Upgrade files Private PRO users only 20 3rd Party Developers API & support files Private 21 MerryBanders MerryBander files Private For MBs 22 Beta section 1 Beta 1 files Private 23 Beta section 2 Beta 2 files Private NAVCIS TRAINING VIDEOTAPE AVAILABLE: ------------------------------------ We now have a training videotape available that shows you how to install, and configure NavCIS TE. It also shows how to configure and set up forums, handle topic headers, create catalogs and much more. Very helpful if you are new to NavCIS. Like having an expert from Dvorak there with you. The cost is just $5.00 and it comes with NavCIS TE v1.25 for Windows. E-mail Amy at 73044,1560 if you would like your own copy. Available in VHS format only (sorry International users, not yet available in non-NTSC formats). The run-time is 38 minutes, and it won't bore you to death <g>. __________________________________________________ > Sirius CDRom STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""" Sirius Publishing's 5-ft. 10-Pak #1 In CD-ROM Sales for Second Consecutive Month (Scottsdale, Arizona -- August, 1994) -- For the second consecutive month, Sirius Publishing's 5-ft. 10-Pak was named the number-one bestselling title in PC Data's "Top 20 CD-ROMS" category, and the leader in the "Top 5 PC Games" category as well. PC Data is a leading supplier of market research from software retailers, distributors, and mail-order companies. The 5-ft. 10-Pak Volume I is a five-foot-long promotional package of ten full-version CD-ROMs from top publishers. The goal of the promotion is to acquaint new and current CD-ROM users with the potential of the medium and boost overall consumer interest in multimedia products. Sirius Publishing, Inc. licensed and marketed the cooperative effort, which offers ten CDs at the introductory price of $29.95 - or $3.00 each. At this price, "thousands of new users can discover the power of multimedia and can easily collect additional CDs for the home PC," said Richard Gnant, president of Sirius. "We even included special discount coupons as further incentive to users to consider our other fine titles." Volume I of the 5-ft. 10-pak offers a broad representation of multimedia titles and includes reference materials, games, video discs, and fully-orchestrated CD entertainment: The "World Vista Atlas" by Applied Optical Media Corp. is a guide filled with detailed, professional quality maps, interesting facts and information, and is simple enough for a child to use. Wayzata's "World FactBook" is a wealth of global information that includes maps, photos, rankings, charts, special interest topics, and even terror group profiles. It was Wayzata's best-selling title in 1993. "Time Man of the Year" by Compact Publishing recaptures the historic TIME cover stories from every "Man of the Year" issue -- from 1927's Charles Lindbergh to 1992's Bill Clinton. It also includes the full text of every issue of TIME for 1992. The "CD-ROM of CD-ROMs" by Resource International Publishing is the source for product and publisher information on 5,000 of today's most popular, available CD-ROM titles. "Stellar 7" by Dynamix, Inc. places the user at the controls of the Raven, Earth's most sophisticated fighting machine. The mission: to reach the Arcturan star system before Gir Draxon can assemble his forces to destroy and capture Earth. "Kings Quest V" by Sierra On-Line, Inc. chronicles the greatest adventure in the history of Daventry as the player embarks with King Graham in his quest for the missing royal family. Gold Medallion's "DOOM: Episode One, Knee Deep in the Dead" places the player in a lightning-fast virtual reality adventure as the toughest space trooper ever. The goal is to shoot through a monster-infested holocaust and live to tell the tale. The "PC Animation Festival" by Wizardware Multimedia Ltd. features award-winning video graphics from the world's leading animation production houses, including the winners of the Assembly '92 PC graphic competition. The "Best of MediaClips" by Aris Entertainment brings the user's desktop alive with 70 images, 70 audio clips, and 10 videos. All are royalty-free and can be used for presentations, education, or just for fun. "PC Karaoke" provides multimedia Karoake in the comfort of the user's home, with back-up by actual CD-Audio recordings that sound just like the originals. "PC Karaoke" has computer-assisted annotation that allows anyone to sing like a professional. Sirius has amassed ten new titles for Volume II of the 5-ft.10-pak, scheduled for release this fall. Plans for future 10-paks include a 10-pak for business, a 10-pak of games, and a 3-ft. 6-pak for kids in an on-going initiative to make CD-ROMs as widely used as floppy disks. The minimum computer system requirements for the 5-ft. 10-pak are: MPC Level 1; 386SX/20 or higher processor, 4MB of memory, 4MB of hard drive space, and SVGA display. Also, MS-DOS or PC-DOS version 3.1 or later, Microsoft Windows version 3.1, as well as a MPC-compliant CD-ROM and sound card (SoundBlaster Pro or equivalent). Sirius Publishing, Inc. is a developer and publisher of multimedia PC-based home entertainment products for the entire family. Sirius developed Compact Disc Synchronization (CD-S) technology, which offers accuracy in the synchronization of computer display graphics to fully-orchestrated audio tracks. Sirius is soon to release motion Pixels, a codec technology which provides video compression rates comparable to MPEG without the need for dedicated decompression hardware. It allows for up to two and one-half hours of high-resolution video on a CD-ROM with no loss of clarity, yet requires only 300K of DOS RAM and is network-transparent. Potential applications include feature movies, music videos, interactive video magazines and interactive learning videos on the PC. For Editorial Contact: Jim Matney, Public Relations Sirius Publishing, Inc. 7320 East Butherus Drive Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 (602) 951-3288 Fax: (602) 951-3884 __________________________________________ > EDITPRO STR Review A superb Windows Editor! """""""""""""""""" EDITPRO V 1.3 ============= by Ralph Mariano Every now and then, a nifty program comes along that you simply must rave about. Its happened to me a number of times. Its especially rewarding for me to blow my horn when the program is put together by a single individual who obviously has done a terrific job. This program, EditPro by Ian Meade has a story similar to Thumbs Plus by Phillip Crews. They're both dedicated to providing superb programming with the user's needs in mind. I reccommended that Thumbs Plus go commercial and I emphatically do so for EditPro. I asked Mr. Meade to tell us a little bit about himself and what brought about the beginnings of EditPro? I'm a software engineering manager for a large machine tool company. I have worked in the area of software development for Computer Numerical Control (CNC) systems for several years. In November of last year (1993) I decided I wanted to broaden my experience by writing a Windows based software application. At the time I was not sure if I wanted to spend the money on the Visual C++ tools to develop a program, but decided it may be worth it. I started work on a Windows Editor mainly for my own use because I was frustrated by the absence of a good Windows editor that had the ability of editing large files, and have multiple files open at the same time. My original plan was for this effort to be a small project that would be completed in about a month or so. It certainly was not intended for distribution that was the last thing on my mind. Initially, I thought I'd also include a hex editing feature. Well, I soon discovered that in order to do this right, it was going to take a lot more than simply a month or so. I always wanted to do a little bit more with the editor. Admittedly, some of the programming problems I encountered were time consuming to resolve. My first release was ready for testing in early January, and I gave copies to a few close friends for testing. This was when I decided on the name of MEDIT (Mead's Editor - a little vain, but I couldn't think of a better name at the time). This was when the "real fun" began, things worked well (there were some neat bugs) but the main things now were the many suggestions for new or improved features. I wanted to improve on the main features, and make this into an editor that anyone would be capable of using. The ongoing development of MEDIT was progressing and I then decided to add the HEX editing mode in around March. By this time I had had enough, I had desire to continue. I felt I had included all the features needed for a good editor. During April, I felt I had finished developing MEDIT as I had quite a few features in place. I wondered about releasing MEDIT as Shareware. I hadn't given much thought to this previously but the idea seemed rather appealing, as MEDIT was well liked by several friends and colleagues. Around Mid-April I released MEDIT on CompuServe (this was Release 2.15), and a little later on America OnLine. After releasing Medit, I started to get lot more input on desired features. One week after it was uploaded to CompuServe, I heard from a company that was interested in purchasing 40+ copies for a project they were working on. This led to additional changes and resulted in an order for 60 copies. I was now completely convinced it had been worth the money to purchase Visual C++ in November. From this point on, MEDIT was enhanced at regular intervals. The most notable new version was Release 2.21 released in early July. This added many improvements to the toolbar and printing, with other additional changes. I discovered an editor called MegaEdit. The names were very similar, and as a result, I released a new editor; "EditPro" as a direct replacement for MEDIT to avoid the confusion and give a distinctive name to my editor. EditPro was taken from MEDIT 2.21c. The first release of EditPro was release 1.30 as a release of 1.0 often suggests a "first release" and the bugs (undocumented features) that so often accompany the first release of any software package. Currently CompuServe has a copy of MEDIT v2.21c in the WUGNET, IBMNET and WINDOWS SHAREWARE forums. MEDIT may be registered online by going to the SWREG area and registering ID 2662. For any new registrations I am sending out EditPro. I have confirmed with CompuServe that I may keep the SWREG ID 2662 and switch it over to EditPro. America OnLine has an old version of MEDIT v2.18. This I hope to replace soon, but am not currently a member of AOL. I have not uploaded MEDIT or EditPro to any other services. But, I have been told its "making the rounds". That's fine with me. My current plans for EditPro are; first to take a break, (I need it). I have almost 800 hours into MEDIT/EditPro. I am thinking about adding column editing capabilities to EditPro. However, this is really a major undertaking. I will be making minor enhancements, such as selectable fonts for the page headers/footers (EditPro has selectable fonts for the main text). In developing MEDIT/EditPro I have found Visual C++ to be an excellent tool. As for myself, I was born in England, and relocated to the USA 7 years ago. I must express my heartfelt thanks to my wife Frances for putting up with the time I spent working on this Editor while also working 60-70 hours/week at a real job. Ian Meade may be reached via CompuServe using CIS ID: 71613,2654. *** EditPro is superb, the hex editor works very well, the tool bar makes ity all so easy and with the planned enhancements, it'll be so far ahead of the other editors there will be no looking back. You can find EditPro almost anywhere now. On CompuServe, Delphi etc.. Its worth the download to see such a fine effort and more than worth the registration fee to use such a great program. _______________________________________________________ > Epson Info 1660 STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""""" EPSON ActionLaser 1600 ====================== Common Questions and Answers ---------------------------- The ActionLaser 1600 is the ideal laser printer for demanding users wanting professional looking, high-resolution output, the ability to process complex text and graphics pages quickly, and the expandability to meet future requirements. The ActionLaser 1600's 600-dpi resolution, Resolution Improvement Technology and Super MicroArt Printing provide the best print quality possible for text and graphics images. The fine dot patterns and smooth image transitions provided by 33 gray levels allow photographs and scanned images to print with greater detail, clarity, and subtlety. A high speed RISC processor combined with a 6 page per minute print engine provide super fast processing and throughput times of even the most complex documents, freeing up the computer sooner so that users can move on to other tasks. The ActionLaser 1600 is easily upgradable with a wide variety of options to meet users' future requirements. A PostScript Level 2 compatible option with 77 gray levels allows users to take advantage of resolution comparable to 1200 dpi for even better reproduction of photographic and scanned elements. A full range of interfaces and connectivity options allow users to connect to everything from PC's and Macintosh computers to Novell networks, and memory is easily upgraded using industry standard SIMMs. Features Benefits _____________________________ _________________________ * True 600 dpi resolution with Provides the best possible Resolution Improvement Technology print quality for text and Super MicroArt Printing and graphic images * HP LaserJet 4 (PCL 5e) emulation. Provides complete compatibility Windows driver and screen fonts with virtually all Microsoft included Windows and DOS applications * 6 page per minute print speed, RISC Provides super fast processing processor and high speed interface and throughput of even the most complex documents * 45 built-in fonts Allows users to create (10 TrueType compatible) customized, professional looking documents immediately * Easily expandable with a wide Allows users to easily variety of options upgrade to satisfy future printing requirements * Limited two year warranty in the The user's assurance of U.S. and Canada and the EPSON quality and reliability. Connection customer service hotline Assistance is only a phone call away Q1. Is the ActionLaser 1600 a true 600 x 600 dpi printer? A1. Yes, the ActionLaser 1600's controller and high-precision laser assembly is capable of addressing and marking a true 600 x 600 dot per inch resolution. Some laser printers utilize chip-based laser modulation techniques to achieve 600 dpi output from a 300 dpi laser assembly. The print quality of true 600 dpi printing is superior to modulated 600 dpi printing. Q2. Why would someone want 600 dpi resolution over 300 dpi resolution? A2. Because 600 dpi resolution prints four times as many dots per inch as 300 dpi, many more gray levels of output are possible. It results in greater detail, clarity, and subtlety of photographic and scanned images. 600 dpi output also provides finer lines, especially important for detailed drawings and small fonts. Q3. Can the ActionLaser 1600 print a full page of 600 dpi graphics with its 2MB of standard memory? A3. Yes. Using memory management technology, ActionLaser 1600 is capable of printing an page of 600 dpi graphics with the standard memory. Should users print extremely complex graphic documents or download numerous fonts, memory is easily upgraded to a maximum of 64MB using industry standard 72-pin SIMMs. Q4. How does the throughput time of the ActionLaser 1600 compare to other 600 dpi personal laser printers? A4. Because the ActionLaser 1600 uses a SPARClite RISC processor, high speed parallel interface, and six page per minute print engine, the ActionLaser 1600 can render pages up to 8 times faster than the LaserJet 4P, and has one of the fastest throughput times in its category. Q5. How is memory upgraded in the ActionLaser 1600? A5. Memory is upgraded to a maximum of 64MB via industry standard SIMMs on the printers main controller board, and is user installable. Two available SIMM sockets accept any combination of lMB, 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB or 32MB SIMMs. If two 32MB SIMMs are installed, the 2MB of standard memory is disabled. SIMMs are 72-pin, and have an access time of 70ns or less. Q6. How many computers can share the ActionLaser 1600 with its standard interfaces? How many with optional interfaces? A6. The ActionLaser 1600 can accommodate 2 computers using the standard parallel and serial interface. By adding optional serial, parallel, coax, or twinax interfaces the ActionLaser 1600 can support up to three computers. Adding an optional third interface and the optional EPSON Talk kit enables the ActionLaser 1600 to connect to three PC's and a Macintosh. Q7. How many levels of gray is the ActionLaser 1600 capable of printing? A7. The ActionLaser 1600 will print 33 different shades of gray in PCI, mode, and 77 shades of gray using the EPSONScript level 2 option. The EPSONScript Level 2 option with 77 gray levels provides print resolution comparable to 1200 dpi for even better reproduction of photographic and scanned elements. Q8. How does EPSON Talk for the ActionLaser 1600 differ from EPSON Talk for the ActionLaser lOOO/1500? A8. The ActionLaser 1000/1500 EPSON Talk kit consists of a Type B LocalTalk interface and a PostScript Level 2 compatible cartridge. In order to take full advantage of the RISC processor on board the ActionLaser 1600, the PostScript compatible module and LocalTalk interface module mount directly to the main controller. This on-board implementation contributes to faster processing & transfer times of PostScript data. Q9. Can the ActionLaser 1600 have two LocalTalk intertaces installed at once? A9. No. The ActionLaser 1600 will work with either the LocalTalk module in the EPSON Talk kit for the ActionLaser 1600 or the Type B LocalTalk interface in the EPSON Talk kit for the ActionLaser 1000/1500. It will not support both simultaneously. The printer will display "SERVICE REQUIRED" on the LCD if both are installed. Q10. Why doesn't the ActionLaser 1600 have an IC card slot like the ActionLaser 1000/1500? A10. The IC card slot on the ActionLaser 1000 was used for adding the EPSON GL/2 plotter language, and on the ActionLaser 1000/1500 for adding the Adobe PostScript language prior to the release of the PostScript Level 2 compatible cartridge. The EPSON GL/2 plotter language is standard on the ActionLaser l600, and the PostScript Level 2 compatible module is installed on the main board. There is no need for the IC card slot on the Actionlaser 1600. Q11. Does the ActionLaser 1600 use the same options as the ActionLaser 1000/1500? A11. The ActionLaser 1600 uses the same 250-sheet lower paper cassette, faceup output tray & type B interfaces as the ActionLaser 1000/1500. The imaging cartridge, EPSONScript Level 2 module and EPSON Talk kit are unique to the ActionLaser 1600. Q12. Why does the ActionLaser 1600 use a different imaging cartridge than the ActionLaser 1000/1500? A12. In order to ensure the sharpest possible 600 x 600 dpi resolution, the toner particles used in the ActionLaser 1600 imaging cartridge are manufactured to more exacting tolerances and are more uniform in size than those used in the ActionLaser 1000/1500. While the ActionLaser 1000/1500 imaging cartridge can be used in the ActionLaser 1600, the print quality will not be as good. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ Set your communications software to Half Duplex (or Local Echo) Call: (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. GEnie Information copyright (C) 1994 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ The Macintosh RoundTable /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ ________________________ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/____ Managed by SyndiComm /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ An Official Forum of the International Computer Users Group *** STReport available in MAC RT *** ASCII TEXT for ALL GEnie users! MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > EPSON STYLUS 800+ STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" EPSON Stylus 800+ Common Questions and Answers EPSON Stylus 800+, EPSON has once again created High Definition ink jet printing that raises the standard, providing the sharpest ink jet printing available. The secret is EPSON Stylus technology. This exclusive technology uses such advances as Microfeeding, and new software driver features including MicroWeaving and Error Diffusion for even smoother and sharper grayscale and graphics output. EPSON Stylus 800+ also adds a faster letter quality speed of 165 cps and a new super-fast draft mode of 250 cps. Features Benefits ----------------- *High definition ink jet ------------------------ Exclusive EPSON Stylus technology printing provides the best ink jet printing available at 360 dpi. *Improved grayscale graphics ---------------------------- Microfeeding, MicroWeaving, and Error Diffusion combine to produce even sharper, more detailed graphics printing. *Convenient paper handling -------------------------- Built-in 100 sheet plain paper tray. Prints envelopes, transparencies and labels with ease. *Your choice of fonts --------------------- Eight different typefaces built-in, with four scalable from 8 to 32 points. *Quiet, compact and easy ------------------------ Whisper-quiet at 45 dB(A) with a to use compact footprint of 17" x 10.4". Easy to set up and use. Q1.Has print quality been improved in EPSON Stylus 800+? A1.With technology advances such as Microfeeding, and new software driver features including MicroWeaving and Error Diffusion, EPSON Stylus 800+ offers even sharper, smoother printed output on grayscale graphic images such as photographs. Q2.What is Microfeed and how does it improve print quality? A2.The award winning EPSON Stylus 800 had extraordinary print quality, particularly on text and "line art" images (all black with no gray). Now, due to an improvement in manufacturing tolerances in the EPSON Stylus 800+, the banding previously evident in grayscale graphics is virtually eliminated. Serial printers, like ink jets and dot matrix, operate by the print head moving back and forth.Once a line is printed, the paper is moved up a distance and the next line is printed. The second line is printed with a slight overlap to the line above it in order to maintain a smooth appearance of the character or image. The extent of this overlap from one line to the next is what causes black banding.The larger the overlap, the more visible the black band. Microfeed is a hardware improvement introduced in EPSON Stylus 800+ that reduces the extent of the overlap, thereby reducing banding. The result is smoother images with greatly reduced black banding. Q3.What is MicroWeave and how does it improve print quality? A3.MicroWeave is a software feature selectable in the printer driver which, like Microfeed, is designed to reduce banding in grayscale graphics. The printhead in EPSON Stylus 800+ has 48 nozzles configured as four staggered columns of 12 nozzles. When MicroWeave is turned on, only the first column of nozzles prints, leaving spaces where the other columns would normally print. These spaces are filled as the printhead makes multiple passes, stepping down the page to "weave" together each subsequent printed line.This technique reduces banding caused by paper feeding.You can best appreciate how MicroWeave works by selecting it in your driver, sending a print job that includes a grayscale image, and then lifting the printer cover to observe the image being printed. Q4.Is there any disadvantage to using MicroWeave? A4.When MicroWeave is selected, the print head must make four passes to complete one line.As a result print times increase by about four times. for that reason, MicroWeave should only be used when you require highest quality output for grayscale graphics. Q5.What is Error Diffusion and how does it improve print quality? A5.In general, Error Diffusion is an attempt to fool the eye to see more levels of gray in grayscale images.This is accomplished by the soflware driver telling the printer to generate a random pattern of dots,rather than a systematic pattern. A systematic pattern results in dots being laid down in an established and predetermined sequence. Such limited combinations can form only a few shades of gray. By having a random pattern of dots, an "infinite" number of combinations can be made--the result being the appearance of greater shading and gradation. This feature, selectable through your software driver, need only be turned on when printing grayscale images such as photographs. Q6.What speed improvements does the EPSON Stylus 800+ offer over the 800? A6.EPSON Stylus 800+ offers a super-fast draft mode of 250 cps and 165 cps letter quality mode. Q7.What printer driver comes with EPSON Stylus 800+? A7.EPSON Stylus 800+ ships with the monochrome version of the Software 2000 driver used in EPSON Stylus COLOR. The driver offers the same visual feedback and background processing advantages as the color version of the driver. Q8.How does the driver's "background processing" work? A8.Typically with Windows applications the print job is sent through Print Manager. In doing this, the entire image must be processed within the application prior to being sent to the printer. This processing slows printing time and ties up the computer, leaving users unable to continue their work.With the new custom EPSON Stylus driver, processing is accomplished in the background, which allows for a faster return to application and faster overall print times. Q9.What is High Speed mode? A9.A High Speed mode is now available with the introduction of EPSON Stylus COLOR and EPSON Stylus 800+. Selectable through the software driver, High Speed mode makes the printer operate bidirectionally, making throughput even faster. This mode should be turned on when requiring the fastest Windows printing possible. Q10. Why is it necessary to run the Calibration utility found on the driver diskette? A10. Although rare, it is possible that the print head may be moved out of alignment during shipping. This may result in printed lines not being totally aligned, a problem that will be especially noticeable when printing in High Speed mode. To address this, a utility has been added to the driver diskette to calibrate your individual printer. When unpacking the printer for the first time it is important to run this utility to ensure your printer is properly calibrated. To run this utility, at the A (or B) prompt, type CD\WINDOWS and press Enter. Then type CALIBRAT and follow the directions on the computer screen. Q11. Doesn't the HP DeskJet 520 have RET and higher resolution than Stylus 800+? A11. HP's claims for the DeskJet 520 are a little misleading. Typically, increased resolution means three things: 1) an increase in the number of places that dots can be printed ("addressability") 2) the ability to print smaller dots; and 3) the ability to print more dots per square inch. The DJ-520's claim of 600 x 300 applies only to addressability, in that the vertical grid is divided in half, allowing dots to be shifted slightly to the left or right. The DJ-520 can only print 300 x 300 dots in a square inch and the dot size has not been reduced. The High Definition Stylus 800+ can print360 x 360 dots, or 44 percent more. And more dots mean better looking print. HP's claim of RET in the DJ-520 also refers to this ability to shift dots to the left or right.Thiscapability falls far short of the functions of RET in laser printers, which allow dots to be modulated from full size to 25%, 50%, and 75% of full size and to be placed with much more latitude than with the DJ-520. RET in the DJ-520 reduces "jaggies" somewhat but its print quality remains inferior to that of EPSON's Stylus 800+. Q12. How does the new EPSON Stylus 800+ compare to the Canon BJ-200e? A12. Only EPSON ink jet printers offer the revolutionary EPSON Stylus technology. While the BJ-200e does have software driver features similar to MicroWeave and Error Diffusion, the advantage of EPSON Stylus technology and the addition of Microfeed continue to make the EPSON Stylus 800+ the best choice in monochrome personal ink jet printers. ********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International Online Magazine is available every week for your reading pleasure on DELPHI. STReport's readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of an extremely friendly community of enthusiastic computer users there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN --DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's 20/20 Advantage Plan 20 Hours for Only $20! ----------------------------- Advantage Members have always enjoyed the lowest DELPHI access rates available. On the new 20/20 Advantage Plan, members receive their first 20 hours of access each month for only $20. If you happen to meet someone online or find some other diversion, don't worry because additional usage is only $1.80 per hour. 20/20 Advantage rates apply for access via SprintNet or Tymnet from within the continental United States during home time or via direct dial around the clock. Home Time is from 6pm to 6am weekdays. Access during business time carries a surcharge of $9 per hour. These rates apply for most services, but note that there are some surcharged areas on DELPHI which are clearly marked with a "$" sign. Who is eligible to take advantage of the plan? Any DELPHI member in good standing. Applications are reviewed and subject to approval by Delphi Internet Services Corporation. It's easy to join. If you meet the eligibility requirements, you can apply online -- at any time -- for membership in the DELPHI 20/20 Advantage Plan. Your membership becomes active at 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the first billing day of the following month. The $20 charge will be billed to you at the beginning of the month to which it applies. Any portion of the 20 hours not used in any month does not carry forward into the next month. Advantage rates may be changed with 30 days notice given online. TRY DELPHI FOR $1 AN HOUR! For a limited time, you can become a trial member of DELPHI, and receive 5 hours of evening and weekend access during this month for only $5. If you're not satisfied, simply cancel your account before the end of the calendar month with no further obligation. If you keep your account active, you will automatically be enrolled in DELPHI's 10/4 Basic Plan, where you can use up to 4 weekend and evening hours a month for a minimum $10 monthly charge, with additional hours available at $3.96. But hurry, this special trial offer will expire soon! To take advantage of this limited offer, use your modem to dial 1-800-365-4636. Press <RET> once or twice. When you get the Password: prompt, type IP26 and press <RET> again. Then, just answer the questions and within a day or two, you'll officially be a member of DELPHI! DELPHI-It's the BEST Value and getting BETTER all the time! ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, I think that I'm finally recovered from the ACT AtariFest '94 in Connecticut last weekend. As most people will testify, it was a good show. No, there weren't thousands of people there - hardly. But, the show succeeded in its goal to attract new and old Atari users, dealers, developers, and other vendors to a weekend of Atari enjoyment. From all of those that I talked with during and after the show, they all had an enjoyable time. The attendees were buying, more so than last year from what I could tell. The vendors were ringing up good sales compared to last year's show. The various booths, while not jammed with lines, were rarely not busy. Atari, the computer company, may be in limbo, but the enthusiasm of the users and supporters remained fast. It's true, the days of WAACE and Glendale shows may now be just a part of Atari users' history, but the '94 CT Show proved that shows on a smaller scale can be successful. I'm glad that I could be a part of it. Look for various show reports later in this issue. My thanks to Brian and Angela Gockley, and to Doug Finch and all of the rest of the ACT support staff for making this another memorable Atari weekend. It's nice to know that there are still those who enjoy the many facets of Atari computing that I do; and that they also are willing to work hard to provide the means such as this show to bring it all to those of us who appreciate it. Hats off...! It's hard to believe, but Labor Day is upon us once again. It's the time of year when students are returning to those hallowed halls of school rooms once again; and summer days are on the rapid wane. Oh well... Please stay safe over the holiday weekend - do NOT drink and drive! Until next time... ___________________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage! TOP TEN DOWNLOADS (8/31/94) (1) SPEED OF LIGHT VIEWER V3.5 (6) NEODESK 4 DEMO (2) MAZE COMBAT V.1.095 (7) DARKLYTE ADVENTURE GAME (3) 1ST GUIDE *(8) GEMVIEW 3.06 (4) DESKTRACKER 1.22 *(9) IMAGELAB (5) STIS 2 3D PICTURE CREATOR *(10) JARXXX * = New on list HONORARY TOP 10 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 10.35) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. ________________________________________ -/- CAF '94 Comments From the Organizers -/- Dana - Thanks to you, Joe and all the terrific Atarians that enjoyed the fourth Connecticut show. We had a great time and, personally, I picked up a few last-minute bargains that made it all worthwhile. It was a regular buying frenzy as the clock wound down. I got a hold of A & D Software's Universal Network (LAN) for $100, regularly $299. The really amazing thing about this year's show was not the smaller crowd (we estimate the gate at about 400, could be slightly higher when all the registrations are counted), but how far people came to be in on the action. Despite the fact that it was still prime vacation season, we ended up with visitors from California and Washington State, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Maine, Ontario and Quebec. Our hats REALLY are off to two attendees who came from Costa Rica and Germany, respectively. Gotta go, will try to get some more recollections on the board soon. Thanks to all of you who came or supported our efforts. Doug Finch Connecticut AtariFest '94 __________________________________ > TOAD Catalog STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""" -/- Toad Computers' Catalog Is Now Available/HolidayFest '94 News! -/- It's official, it's for real, it's packed with stuff and it's headed your way now! Watch for the new Toad Computers PRODUCT CATALOG! It's being mailed to 25,000 of our closest friends and you're probably one of them! If not, call us TOADAY and get on our mailing list! We want to make sure you have the latest information on the products available for your Atari! The Toad Computers PRODUCT CATALOG is a full 56 pages packed with software, hardware and accessories picked EXCLUSIVELY for current and prospective Atari owners! Get the latest word on all this and more: - Lynx Games - Jaguar Games - Falcon Prices - Monitors - ST Computers - ST Games - Speedo GDOS 5.0 - CD ROM Products - Graphics Programs - Desktop Publishing - Word Processing - Scanners from $109 & Up - Printers - Oregon Research Software - Codehead Software - Database Programs - STraight FAX! - FAX Modems - Terminal Programs - Falcon Voice Mail - NeoDesk 4 - Mag!x & Kobold - Programming - Magazines - Emulators - Gemulator for $99 - Repairs - Spectre 3.1 - New Toad T-Shirt - Cables - Custom PC Systems - Atari Portfolio - Accelerators - RAM Upgrades - Hard Disk Drives - Tape Backups - Diamond Back 3 - SyQuest Drives - Atari 8-Bit Products - Music & MIDI Software - Cubase / Steinberg - Notator / EMAGIC - Spreadsheets - Financial Software - Educational Software - Edit*Plus - Mice & Joysticks - Cheap Games - Recipes - Directions to our Store - Beetle Mice - Our Reader Survey WATCH FOR IT in your mail! It has a bright yellow, full color cover! You can't miss it! Also announced in the catalog are the following new services from Toad Computers: TOADFAX FAX-ON-DEMAND SYSTEM: (410) 544-0098 -------------------------------------------- Beginning in mid-August 1994, TOADFAX -- an automated, voice activated FAX-On-Demand system -- will distribute pricing and product literature to Toad customers. Simply call the system, enter the numbers of the documents you wish to receive using your touch-tone phone. You can choose between entering your FAX number and having our system call you back, or receiving your documents on-line at the time of your call. TOADFAX is intended to cure a common problem in today's fast paced computer market -- information obsolescence -- and gives customers a fast and easy way to check up on prices and product information. TOADFAX can be reached by dialing (410) 544-0098 and will begin operation in mid-August 1994. TOAD MUSIC MIDI INFORMATION & MUSIC TECH SUPPORT HOTLINE -------------------------------------------------------- We continue to expand our support of MIDI and music software by adding another phone line specifically for that purpose. While you would still use our standard (800) 448-8623 order line for placing orders for all products, if you need technical support or even buying advice, on MIDI products, call (410) 544-7495. TOAD T-SHIRT: "MY OTHER COMPUTER IS AN ATARI!" ---------------------------------------------- Also available in August 1994 will be a new Toad T-Shirt! This is the first Toad T-Shirt in almost four years and it's sure to be a hit! ON THE FRONT: My Other Computer is an ATARI! ON THE BACK: ATARI Logos (from Catalog Cover) Toad Computers America's Atari Source! The front is in blue. The back is in full color and features various Atari logos (Fuji, ATARI, Lynx, Jaguar, TT, ST, STE, Portfolio and Falcon030 -- each in a different color!) This rugged shirt is 100% Fruit-of-the-Loom cotton and more stylish than a hairpiece! AVAILABLE AUGUST 1994! PRE-ORDER YOURS _TOADAY_ FOR IMMEDIATE DELIVERY! Small, Medium, and XL: Only $10.00! 2XL and 3XL Sizes: Only $14.00! __________________________________ > TOAD's Holiday Fling STR FOCUS! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" TOAD COMPUTERS -- HOLIDAY FESTIVAL '94 ANNOUNCEMENT! ---------------------------------------------------- Toad Computers is proud to announce HOLIDAY FESTIVAL '94 which will take place on December 3rd & 4th, 1994. Last year's event drew a surprise 500 people from all over the country and featured guests and exhibitors such as: - Dave Small - Joe Waters, Ed. of Current Notes - Charles Smeton (STraight FAX!) - Dave Troy (CN Columnist / Toad Co-owner) - Tim Reyes - MajicSoft - Carter's Creative Computer - Greg Ondo of Steinberg Jones All Atari developers and user groups are invited and will be given FREE table space if pre-registered by November 1, 1994. Tables requested after that time will be $150 each. Space will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We'll feature free hot apple cider, door prizes and more! We'll also have another raffle to benefit Habitat for Humanity (which raised over $500 last year!!) The show will take place at TOAD COMPUTERS in the Park Plaza Shopping Center in Severna Park, Maryland. There's unlimited free parking and lots to see and do nearby, as we're nestled between Washington, Baltimore, and Annapolis. TOAD COMPUTERS HOLIDAY FESTIVAL '94: Saturday December 3th 10:00am - 7:00pm Sunday December 4th 10:00am - 5:00pm Toad Computers Park Plaza Shopping Center 570 Ritchie Highway Severna Park, MD 21146-2925 Voice: (410) 544-6943 Orders: (800) 448-8623 FAX: (410) 544-1329 BBS: (410) 544-6999 TOADFAX: (410) 544-0098 MUSIC/MIDI: (410) 544-7495 For MAPS, DIRECTIONS, HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS, or any other information you may need, please call us! Keep an eye open for further developments on the show! We plan to have announcements on and in: - GEnie - CompuServe - Internet - Delphi - Current Notes - ST Informer - Processor Direct - Anything We Can Think Of - STReport Online We will also be mailing postcards in support of the show sometime in November. If you know of someone who would like to come to the show, give us their name and address and we'll be sure they get the information! ADMISSION IS FREE!!!! ADMISSION IS FREE!!! _________________________________ > Connecticut AtariFest '94! STR Show Reports! - CAF '94 A Hit!! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Well, this year's show was a last-minute venue change to Bridgeport rather than Windsor Locks, but apparently it didn't deter Atari users from attending. My first reactions to learning of the Bridgeport site was of disappointment, but that was short-lived once I arrived. Although Bridgeport has declined over the past few years, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The hotel was in the downtown section of the city, close to the train and ferry stations; and the area was strangely devoid of bustling people that you would expect from a fairly large city. My wife, Louise, and I arrived at the hotel early Saturday morning, with only two minor direction mishaps on arriving in Bridgeport. Even with hotel reservations about a month ago, checking in was a nightmare. The hotel was booked solid as of the night before, so we had to wait until after 3:00 pm before we managed to get into a room. However, the waiting time was utilized well, at the show! There were over 20 various vendors at this year's show. With the rapidly diminishing developer and dealer community, the numbers of vendors present was quite good - a terrific variety! There was only one no-show, Corporate Computer Consulting. Ironically, this company is a local one for me and I have no idea what happened. The show started off slowly, but eventually the people coming in increased in size. Even some of the vendors were late starting, but it was hardly noticed after the first half hour passed. Walking into the showroom, you were first met with the ACT user group tables. I finally decided that I had to add an ACT '94 tee shirt to my collection of Atari-related shirts!! Here's a brief rundown of the other booths and offerings; and there was plenty to see and buy!! Best Electronics was there in full force! Best lived up to its name as the biggest source for Atari electronics and other assorted items - practically anything that you could ever need, they've got! Best's Brad Koda is finishing up their stock list and their huge catalog will be going out soon. I managed to pick up a transparent mouse to use with Louise's Stacy, and it was pretty sharp looking! I had wanted to pick up a new top for my MegaST, but he didn't have any with him. It's on my list of things to call him about, though! If you're looking for parts, Best Electronics is the place to call! Wizztronics, although arriving during the afternoon on Saturday, managed to still amaze many with their various products. Although I'm not a Falcon owner, the Barracuda 040 was something to see. The Barracuda is a replacement CPU for the Falcon that will add speed and much more to your Falcon. Wizztronics was also showing their Falcon/ST rack and tower cases, the newly re-vamped DEKA keyboard replacement adaptor, and the Video Funnel. They also had the CartMaster and various other older products on-hand. Glad that they finally made it to the show! It's All Relative had all of your CD-ROM needs at the show. I didn't spend a lot of time at this booth because I don't have a CD-ROM drive (yet!), but PhotoCD looked great! IAR's 'Art for Kids' paint program was attracting a lot of the younger crowds; and they were using the software better than I could ever do! Gribnif Software's booth was a big hit with Geneva and NeoDesk 4, among their other terrific products. Both Dan Wilga and Rick Flashman were busy all weekend showing off both of their latest offerings, especially NeoDesk 4!! I can't wait to get my upgrade to put it to the test. From what I saw from various demos, this is going to be one hot item! Look for a dual review of Geneva and NeoDesk 4 within the next two weeks from STReport's CIS man about town, Joe Mirando. Binary Sounds, formerly Barefoot Software, was represented by Rick Ladage and his lovely wife. I still can't believe that they drove for 38 hours to get to the show from Houston, but they did! Rick was showing off various software and finally was able to offer the long- awaited upgrade to EdiTrack Platinum. Rick was playing up a storm throughout the weekend. I managed to catch up with him during those occasional quiet times when we both managed to catch a quick smoke out in the halls. We talked about various current events and other assorted topics. Rick's (and Bob Seeman's) recent entry into the fold of Atari developers is a serious one and from all indications that I could tell, both are likely to make a success for themselves in the MIDI area of Atari support. I was glad to finally get to meet Rick again after seeing him online on Delphi for quite some time and briefly meeting him at WAACE a couple of years ago. Rick and his wife were a lot of fun to talk to during the weekend. Michael R. Burkley, that Unabashed Atariophile for AEO and part proprietor of Suzy B's Software was there with his 7,000-plus collection of public domain/shareware software. Michael is presently completing his conversion of his inventory to CD-ROM and it should be available shortly. Michael was busy showing of why Suzy B's is One Honey of a Deal!! It was also a pleasure to finally meet him in person, after seeing him online for a few years locally as well as on Delphi. Lexicor's booth took up one complete corner of the show floor with their incredible graphics software. And yes, the Medusa 040 was there in all of its glory!! Boy, I wish that I had a few spare dollars for one of those machines! Louise and I spent a good amount of time at the Lexicor booth trying to come up with a solution to Louise's artwork needs for her Star Trek: TNG fanzines and newsletter. We saw a variety of software to try, but we decided to wait to see exactly what her needs might be. However, programs such as DA's Picture and Prism Paint 2 were incredible. Both running on a Nova-enhanced TT were simply beautiful, especially under the talented reins of Lexicor's Yat Siu. I came close to buying both even though I realized that both may have been overkill for Louise's present needs. However, I am keeping one or both of those in mind for the future! Oregon Research was there with their full line of products, including their latest offering, Papyrus, a powerful new word processor program. I managed to finally upgrade my copy of Diamond Back and also picked up Diamond Edge. With my hard drive fortunes, both products will get plenty of good use! ICD was there, represented by Tom Harker. Tom had along with him all of ICD's latest hardware and software products for the computer user. I had to get the latest Pro Utilities package and the newest tape software. Tom even convinced me to pick a cleaner kit for the tape drive. It was easy after I mentioned that I hadn't cleaned it since I bought it a few years ago! Tom was also showing a working model of the Cat Box, the soon-to-be-released Jaguar hardware addition which will allow Jaguars to connect and various other support functions. We were also privy to see the current status of his new company's, 4Play, Jaguar game - StarBattle. For the Atari 8-bit users, Fine Tuned Engineering was there with the newly-acquired ICD 8-bit inventory and other products. The CT show has always had terrific 8-bit support at the shows, and this year's show was no exception. No Atari show would be complete without Toad Computers! The Troys, Jennifer and Dave, were there with their usually well-stocked booth full of just about everything. As usual, the Toad booth was extremely active. The new Toad catalog was also there, so if you managed to be left off of their mailing list, you had another opportunity to grab one! Accompanying the Toads this year was Charles Smeton, of NewStar Technologies. Charles was there showing off and selling STraightFax! There were a few dealers, such as the Computer Zone and Micro Computer Depot, with their various inventories. Both seemed to be doing very well even though Toad seemed to overshadow them at times. The biggest action was in the back corner of the showroom floor, with the Jaguar set-ups and competitions. Along with the always active games was the AEO SCES video. The Jaguar competition was fierce and a lot of fun to watch. Some of the youngsters behind the Jaguar controllers were simply amazing. My only disappointment was the fact that the show didn't offer a "geriatrics" division for the competition!! There was no way any of us "Space Invaders Generation" was going to take on any of these kids in a one-on-one competition! Atari was kind enough to offer 3 Jaguars for prizes, and the winners walked out with big grins on their faces! Louise and I had a great time (it was Louise's first AtariFest!) and we met a lot of new people and got reacquainted with many others from shows past. I was sorry to have missed my part in the STReport seminar, but we left about an hour before the seminar was to have taken place. However, I understand that my seminar partner, Joe Mirando, conducted a successful one and managed to partially devoid himself of the remaining STReport buttons! So, I had a great time. I managed to leave with quite a few new goodies to help me in my Atari computing endeavors and a lot of memorable meetings of friends. I hope that we can do it all over again next year! I know I missed a number of vendors being mentioned, but I never seem to remember them all when I do a show report! I apologize to those I've overlooked; it's my mind that's lacking and not your appreciated participation at the show! ______________________________________ JAGUAR SECTION ============== In This Week's Jaguar Section ----------------------------- BSF, Doom update, Man VS. Machine in Chess!, AT&T Drops Modem Support, & more... > From the Editor's Controller - "Playin' it like it is" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" It's early September and there are no new revelations of new games going into production. This means that it doesn't look good to see any new games hitting the streets this month unless there's something in the pipelines from 3rd party developers that Atari hasn't heard about yet. Sam Tramiel still says that there will be 30-50 games out in time for the Christmas season, but I'm not sure how this is going to be accomplished at this present time. However, I do believe that there will be a good group of games available in plenty of time to make it a successful season, albeit less than anticipated. Perhaps, we'll see 15-20 games with the first new ones coming out in mid-October. Plans for the CD-ROM player and CD-ROM games are still, apparently, still on schedule. The first CD-ROM games appear to be BattleMorph and Dragon's Lair - one of them a likely candidate as the CD-ROM pack-in game. After various views online regarding the quality of Brutal Sports Football, I finally saw it being played for the first time at the CT AtariFest last weekend. Maybe people were talking about a different game than I saw, but it looked like a LOT of fun! I think most people were right on target on one point, however - it does look like it's a better game with two players. Another game that I was personally disappointed in was Crescent Galaxy. However, after watching many show attendees playing this game, it started to grow on me. The initial screen levels that I managed to play grew increasingly better as the game progressed. I may have to give this game a second chance. Our "Promote the Jaguar" Photo contest deadline is only a few weeks away. If you haven't taken your pictures yet, time is running out quickly! See the details for the contest later on in this issue. Until next time... ____________________________________________ > Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SUNNYVALE, CALIF. (Aug. 29) BUSINESS WIRE - Aug. 29, 1994--Sega, Nintendo, 3DO and Sony continue to tell game enthusiasts that they must wait until late 1995 to experience advanced video game technology and performance. But the Atari Jaguar, the world's first 64-bit multimedia home entertainment system, already is available. "By Christmas 1994, Jaguar fans will be playing 30-50 new game titles on their 64-bit systems while our competitors continue to play catch up and beg their followers to be patient," said Sam Tramiel, Atari president and chief executive officer. "It's nice to know American companies are once again leading the way in technology." The Atari Jaguar is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Jaguar, the most powerful multimedia system available, was recently named the industry's Best New Game System (Video Games Magazine), Best New Hardware Systems (Game Informer), and 1993 Technical Achievement of the Year (Die Hard Game Fan). Jaguar also recently was given the European Computer Trade Show Award for Best Hardware of the Year. "We still have the best hardware on the market. And now we have great titles rolling in," said Tramiel. "So if you can buy 64-bit power today for under $250, why should you wait until 1995 to spend close to $500?" said Tramiel. In September, Atari will launch an aggressive advertising campaign highlighting the great gameplay made possible by the Atari Jaguar's 64-bit power. One of the campaign spots stresses the immersive, 3D nature of Jaguar games by focusing on upcoming title Alien Vs. Predator. "The 3D Graphics and texture mapping take full advantage of the Jaguar's technological superiority and create an experience that is out of this world," said Tramiel. Atari Corp., based in Sunnyvale, designs and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems and video games. Contact: Diane Carlini Ron Beltramo Edelman Public Relations Atari Corporation (415) 433-5381 (408) 745-8852 Terry Grantham Telegames, Inc. (214) 228-0690 ext.901 For Immediate Release ATARI ABOLISHES ALL RULES -- SCORES TOUCHDOWN WITH NEW "BRUTAL SPORTS FOOTBALL" Title Is First Of Many Third-Party Games For Award-Winning, 64-Bit Atari Jaguar SUNNYVALE, Calif. (August 22, 1994) -- Imagine no rules on the football field as you decapitate your opponent as he runs toward the goal line. The only game you'll experience it on is Brutal Sports Football and the only video game system you'll play it on is Atari's award-winning Jaguar. The first of many third-party video games, Brutal Sports Football also is the first sports-related, fast-action game developed for the 64-bit Jaguar system. Initially released for sale in mid August, with national availability in September, Brutal Sports Football represents a hybrid in video games -- coupling the sporting elements of rugby with the blood-and-guts mayhem of the most popular video games. The product is designed for action gamers and football fans who are tired of the same old set of moves and rules. The new rules are simple ... there are none. Players simply pick up the ball and run for their video game life while avoiding the head-hunting opposition. "Brutal Sports Football was our chance to work with the most sophisticated video game platform on the market, the 64-bit Jaguar," said Telegames' Terry Grantham. "We've been developing software for Atari hardware since 1982 and believe this is our most innovative product yet." Brutal Sports Football, retailing for $69.95 at consumer electronics and toy stores nationwide, is the first of numerous games Telegames is developing for the Jaguar platform including World Class Cricket, Ultimate Brain Games, Casino Royale, and Operation Starfish (James Pond 3). Atari's Jaguar game system has approximately 30 software titles planned for release before the holiday season. Popular titles in the works include Alien Vs. Predator, Dragon - The Bruce Lee Story, Doom, Busby, Troy Aikman Football, and Kasumi Ninja. "We've challenged our software designers to develop games that use the full technological capacity of the 64-bit Jaguar," said Atari Corporation President Sam Tramiel. "This means players can look forward to some incredible titles in the near future because our developers are not constrained by less-sophisticated 16-bit or 32-bit technology." More than 150 independent developers currently are working on Jaguar-compatible products. Since its release in November 1993, Atari's Jaguar game system has been named the industry's "Best New Game System" (Video Games Magazine), "Best New Hardware System" (Game Informer) and "1993 Technical Achievement of the Year" (DieHard GameFan). The Jaguar is the only video game system manufactured in the United States. Atari Corporation, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., designs and markets 64-bit interactive multimedia entertainment systems and video games. Contact: Ron Beltramo Atari Corporation (408) 745-8852 -/- Computer Beats Chess Champ -/- Human chess players are consoling each other today as word arrives from London that world champion Garry Kasparov was defeated last night by Chess Genius 2, a computer program that analyzes up to 100,000 positions a second and costs less than $200. The Reuter News Service says, "Kasparov, hitting his head in frustration and muttering to himself, walked off the stage at a London tournament after his shock defeat. His conqueror stayed on the pedestal." The Professional Chess Association champion lost his first clash against the program, then could do no better than a draw in a second game. The loss eliminates him from the Intel World Chess Grand Prix, which has a $160,000 grand prize. Around the world, chess grandmasters (humans, all) were wringing their hands. "It is a sad day for chess," Georgian Eduard Grufel told Reuters. Nigel Short, who was defeated by Kasparov in last year's $1.5 million World Chess championship, told the London Times the computer had a major advantage, because it was not overwhelmed by Kasparov's intimidating psychological presence across the board. "It's a sensational and sad result," computer chess expert Frederic Friedel told The Daily Telegraph. "The way hardware is developing, the day when computers will defeat humans in all forms of chess is approaching faster than we thought." Reuters says that prior to the match Kasparov slept late yesterday, then jogged along the banks of the river Thames to help prepare himself mentally for the challenge. "The computer spent the hours before the competition covered by a single blue blanket." Of course, some are forecasting doom for the ancient game. London's Independent paper, for instance, says Kasparov's defeat may lead to the game losing its appeal. "It will be less exciting to watch, since spectators will eventually be able to carry notebook computers capable of telling them what the world champion ought to do next. There may also be greater opportunities to cheat, even though the incentive to do so will diminish as the prizes do." The Associated Press says Kasparov at first had a slight advantage over Chess Genius 2, but was outplayed in the endgame. Both players had only 25 minutes to make all their moves and this is "the first time Kasparov lost to a computer in a game with a time limit of more than five minutes per player," AP notes. Russian Kasparov, who holds one of the two world chess titles, left the World Chess Federation (known by its French initials FIDE) last year and formed the rival Professional Chess Association with British grandmaster Short. AP provides this play-by-play of Chess Genius 2's win. Kasparov plays the White pieces: 1. c4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. Nc3 Nbd7 7. g3 e6 8. Bg2 Be7 9. 0-0 0-0 10. e3 Ne4 11. Qe2 Qb6 12. Rd1 Rad8 13. Ne1 Ndf6 14. Nxe4 Nxe4 15. f3 Nd6 16. a4 Qb3 17. e4 Bg6 18. Rd3 Qb4 19. b3 Nc8 20. Nc2 Qb6 21. Bf4 c5 22. Be3 cxd4 23. Nxd4 Bc5 24. Rad1 e5 25. Nc2 Rxd3 26. Qxd3 Ne7 27. b4 Bxe3+ 28. Qxe3 Rd8 29. Rxd8+ Qxd8 30. Bf1 b6 31. Qc3 f6 32. Bc4+ Bf7 33. Ne3 Qd4 34. Bxf7+ Kxf7 35. Qb3+ Kf8 36. Kg2 Qd2+ 37. Kh3 Qe2 38. Ng2 h5 39. Qe3 Qc4 40. Qd2 Qe6+ 41. g4 hxg4+ 42. fxg4 Qc4 43. Qe1 Qb3+ 44. Ne3 Qd3 45. Kg3 Qxe4 46. Qd2 Qf4+ 47. Kg2 Qd4 48. Qxd4 exd4 49. Nc4 Nc6 50. b5 Ne5 51. Nd6 d3 52. Kf2 Nxg4+ 53. Ke1 Nxh2 54. Kd2 Nf3+ 55. Kxd3 Ke7 56. Nf5+ Kf7 57. Ke4 Nd2+ 58. Kd5 g5 59. Nd6+ Kg6 60. Kd4 Nb3+ ________________________________________________ > Jaguar Easter Eggs, Cheats, & Hints STR InfoFile """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" We're going to hold off any new tips for this week's issue. However, look for a group of tips for various games to appear in the upcoming few issues. We're busy compiling the various e-mail requests for hints to make sure that we get to help everybody in one fell swoop!! Stay tuned! > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" NEW INFO!!!!!!!!!! According to Gary Tramiel ( I talked with him today ) AvP is not in production as of 8/30 but is in the final stages. He added that the final version is MUCH HOTTER than anything seen previously. According to him it is much better looking than what has been seen in the mags or at CES. He said the street date is the first week in Oct. rather than 9/22 that I posted earlier. I had a feeling that our list was dated but I posted exactly what I had in the store, and had a feeling it would be around early Oct. Hurray for me. It should be worth the wait. He's also sending me a video tape of the final version running. I'll let everyone know what I think. *Kasumi Ninja Update* The version seen at CES was the 16meg version. According to Gary Tramiel the final version will be 32 MEGS !!!!! New characters and moves have been added and maybe some new back grounds. The price for the cart will be $69.99. Not bad when you consider that MKII has a SRP of 74.99. If this one is as good as what I've seen then it WILL be worth it. You have to finish the end boss by using each character in order and chase him through a maze ( and the maze I saw rivals DOOM graphics )!!!! Well, that's the latest.....oh yah...Gary said he was impressed with the amount of work ID has put into DOOM. It's an early Oct. cart as well. I asked him about the res and color and he said that Id is still playing with it...they might kick the res back up. --Steve STReport Jaguar Contest - Only 3 Weeks Left!! -STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/- * * J The STReport "Promote the Jaguar" Photo Contest J A Win a Jaguar tee-shirt _and_ A G An Official In-Store Atari Jaguar Banner!!! G * * J ____ ____ ___ ____ ___ __ / J A / / / / ` / / / / / / / ` / A G / /---/ / __ /___/ / / / /__ / / G * \ / / / / / / \\\ / / / / / / * J \/ / / /___/ / \\\ /___/ /___ /___ \__/ * J A \\\ A G \\\ G * * -STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/-STR-/- What would you do to promote the Jaguar? Do you have an idea that could be expressed on film? STReport wants to see it. And, we're ready to reward the person (or group) with the best idea, in picture format. That's right, just send us a photograph of how you would promote the Jaguar! You'll also need to send us your name and address, of course. 1st Prize will be an official Atari Jaguar tee-shirt AND an official in-store promotional Jaguar banner! 2nd prize will be a Jaguar tee-shirt (identical to the one above). 3rd prize will be a "JAG RULES!" rubber stamp which is normally available exclusively from Artisan Software! Photographs will be judged and prizes will be awarded by the Atari/Jaguar editor of STReport, Dana Jacobson. All photographs must be received by September 20, 1994. The winners will be announced in STReport online magazine, in the issue scheduled to be released on Friday, September 23, 1994. To be eligible, please submit a clear photograph (color preferred) of your idea. Also include your name and address with the photo! All photographs submitted will become the property of STReport; they will not be returned to you. Contest is valid in the United States and Canada only. Employees of Atari Corporation and staff members of STReport or Amiga Report are not eligible to win. This contest is void where prohibited by law. Send your photograph, your name and address to: Jaguar Photo Contest STReport Online Magazine 1121 Saratoga Street East Boston, MA 02128-1225 USA Again, 1st prize includes a Jaguar tee-shirt and a Jaguar banner! The tee-shirt is 100% cotton. It's a black crew-neck shirt with the Atari Jaguar name on the chest. On the back is the famous Jaguar logo. The banner is the same as you've seen at your favorite Jaguar dealer. What? You haven't seen one? Well, it measures 4 feet wide and 2 feet tall! The Jaguar logo consists of those piercing yellow Jaguar eyes above the dark red Jaguar, claw marks and all! These banners are collector's items which are almost impossible to get anywhere! Rumor has it that this one may have been discovered in a rare cache somewhere in the bowels of Sunnyvale. And it can be all yours! Show it off proudly on the wall of your room or fly it out your window! All of your friends will want one, but only you will have one. It's awesome! JAG RULES! The 2nd prize consists of the Jaguar tee-shirt, as described above. The 3rd prize is the official "JAG RULES!" rubber stamp! Use a bright red ink pad (not included) for a vivid 2.25" by 1.5" image of JAG RULES in the impact of the Jaguar logo type style. Use it as an economical way to advertise your enthusiasm of the Atari Jaguar. Stamp your letters and your envelopes. Stamp your arm as a tattoo. Stamp your money. Stamp school notebooks and post-its. Writing a letter to your favorite software company? Stamp it! Sending a birthday card to your best friend? Stamp it! Dropping a postcard to your brother at school? Stamp it! Let everyone know you're a Jaguar gamer. After all, in the empire of high technology entertainment systems, JAG RULES! For an example of the JAG RULES logo, call the CATscan BBS. Dial 209/239-1552. Download file: JAGRULES.ZIP. File is ZIP'd and requires PKUNZIP to decompress. Or, call your favorite online service to find it! Need a tip to help you start thinking of some ideas? Drop us a line in E-Mail to either DPJ on Delphi, 71051,3327 on Compuserve, D.JACOBSON2 on GEnie, or Internet mail at dpj@delphi.com. Or, call us at Toad Hall BBS at (617)567-8642 and leave a private message to Dana Jacobson. Are you still here? Grab that camera and start taking some pictures! One of them may just be the winner! Credits: STReport and its staff would like to thank Atari Corporation for its generous donation of the banner and tee-shirts. _______________________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Well, I'm finally recovering from last week's Connecticut AtariFest. It was a great time! I got to catch up with lots of friends old and new. I really enjoyed talking with my pals Myles Cohen, Brian and Angela Gockley, Doug Finch, Bernie Paist, Dan Simpson, Dave and Jennifer Troy, Tom and Loretta Allard, Dan Wilga, Rick Flashman, and new friends Rick and Karen Ladage of Binary Music, they're the folks who are taking over the Barefoot Software line. They are good folks, and I enjoyed seeing them again (I met them last year at the Asheville show). Well, let's see if last weekend's infusion of "fuji-enriched activity" has any affect on this week's column. So without any further adieu, let's get on with the reason for this column: All the great news, tips, and hints to be found every week right here on CompuServe... From the Atari Computing Forum ============================== On the subject of modems and line noise, Glenn Pavlovic asks: "Could The RTS/CTS problem by the reason why my modem works fine at 1200 baud but intermittently spews garbage at 2400?" Sysop Jim Ness, who knows more than most people about modems and such, tells Glenn: "Higher modem speeds require better phone lines. Or, alternatively, error correction built into the modem. The garbage you see is a result of "junk" or static on the phone line. At lower speeds, the static goes unnoticed. If you had an error correcting modem, you wouldn't see the junk. You'd occasionally see short pauses, as the modem caused the bad data to be resent." Pablo Zoltan asks: "[Does] Anybody out there knows anything about connecting a PC to an Atari ST via a serial port? Are there, perhaps, some programs onboard which could accomlish that? I can hook up two PC's via a zero-slot LAN or anything else similar, but I've tried a number of things to do the same with my ST and failed miserably." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Pablo: "A null modem cable connection between the serial ports on the PC and ST should work... you'd just run a terminal program on each of them, and "upload" and "download" files between them. However, if what you're looking for is more along the lines of a "true" LAN setup, where one system's disk serves the other transparently, I don't think there is anything like that available on the ST side of things, at least not that I know of..." Roland Hautz tells Pablo: "For the purpose of file transfer ST<->PC, I'm using terminal-emulations on both sides. Anything from freeware to $$$ would do, as long as they have the same file transfer protocol on eac side. On the PC, range is from the terminal, that comes with Windows to WRQ Reflection($$$). On the Atari, I have UNITERM(free) and RUFUS(shareware). I reach tranfer rates of appr. 2200 cps with Z-Modem protocol. Limiting factor there is the 19200 baud COM of the PC, of course <grin>." Mito Teocharis posts: "HELP!!! I'm new here. I'm wanted to download a QUICKCIS for ATARI STE, but I have troubles with protocol. HOW can'I set a ZMODEM protocol???" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Mito: "We don't have ZMODEM available here... if your terminal program allows it, the best protocol to use is COMPUSERVE QUICK B, if not, you can use YMODEM... the floppy disk formats used by both the IBM and the Atari ST are almost exactly the same... That means you can actually use the same disk in both machines, as long as you originally format it on the IBM. Some of the early STs didn't format the disks exactly right, which is why you sometimes need a special program to go from ST to IBM, but if you let the IBM do the formatting, BOTH computers can use the disk. Just be sure to format the disk as 720K, as the ST can NOT read 1.44 Meg, High Density disks." Peter Joseph tells us: "I have the best of both worlds. A Mega4ST on one side of my desk and a P5-90 on the other (actually the P5 sits in a tower on the floor). I swap files between them all the time; especially midi files. I admit, as I get more used to the P5, the Mega gets turned on less often, but I still love the little guy. I say little 'cause the Mega's 12" monitor is dwarfed by the P5's 17". You know the funniest thing? I can't get used to multitasking on the PC. I keep closing one program to run another before I realize that I just don't have to. Oh well, live long and prosper Atarians, man cannot live by PC alone!" Sysop Bob Retelle tells Peter: "It's funny, but my boss was saying the same kind of thing about multi-tasking the other day.. he says he has enough trouble running ONE program without worrying about having several going at once.. The funny part is that he thinks nothing of having four LAN sessions open on one terminal and switching back and forth among them to diagnose problems with our mainframes... "But that's different..!" Peter tells Bob: "About the only multitasking I do a lot of at this time is that I like having one of my favorite music CD's playing on the ol' CD-Rom drive while I work in another program like replying to messages on CIS. :) This thing's got an incredible multimedia package." Brian Campbell sends up an SOS: "HELP - I need to put another 2 megs of ram into my Mega 2 - and I need to do it quickly. What are my options, and where can I find the necessary kits/ chips necessary for the upgrde?? I do have electronics and soldering experience, as well as the tools for working on PC boards." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Brian: "If you have one of the early Mega 2STs, before Atari changed the motherboard design to prevent upgrading, you can relatively easily add another 2 Megs of RAM chips right on the board. The original motherboard design had all the positions for 4 Megs worth of RAM, but only the first 2 Megs were actually populated for the Mega 2. The other positions will have had their holes solderd shut during the manufacturing process, but with some time and careful desoldering, you can open them back up and insert RAM chips or sockets. There are also mounting holes for the decoupling capacitiors that are needed, and there are also three resistors that need to be added in the traces from the new RAM to the MMU chip. (I'm not sure of the exact values or locations, but you can easily determine them by following the traces from the existing RAM chips.) If you look inside your Mega and find no extra holes, you'll have to install a third-party memory upgrade board. I'd give TOAD Computers, or one of the other Atari dealers a call and ee if they have anything still available. Be sure you specify the upgrade is for a Mega 2ST." Brian continues: "Do you happen to know the right speed chips I need?" Bob tells Brian: "Just about any speed hips you can obtain will work.. the actual specification for the ST system is 150ns, but it's usually hard to even find any that are that slow. I think the ones that were in the memory upgrade I installed in my 520ST were 100ns, and they worked just fine... as long as all the chips in the same bank are the same speed, you shouldn't have any problems." Manfred Honede tells us: "I am interested in software for my old ATARI 260 ST. Because the machine was a gift for my son and he has only a system disk. Please give me an information if there is any software available." Mike Mortilla asks Manfred: "A 260 ST? Never heard of that one. Do you mean a 520?" Sysop Bill Aycock tells Mike: "I believe the 260ST, a 256K machine, was only sold in Europe... that's probably why you never heard of it. Except for the amount of RAM, it's a standard ST." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Bill: "Heh.. to make it even more convoluted, I remember the 260ST, which was as you mentioned, a 256K memory size ST, that was first shown at CES in 1985, but which was never released here in the US because Atari decided that was too little memory.. (those were the days before TOS was available in ROM, and just loading the operating system would fill up your entire memory in a 256K machine..!) But.. I remember seeing mention of a 260ST on some of the Internet Atari newsgroups that indicated that the machine was really a 512K memory system..! Since Manfred has an international ID number, I wonder if his was one of those... Apparently Atari in Europe did some, er.. unusual things..." Bill Halvorsen tells Bob: "Check Atari Explorer, February 1985, for a centerfold of the 130ST. Then, check Atari Explorer Summer 1985 page 19 for a pix of the 260ST-FM. "The new model in the 16-bit line is called the 260ST-FM. It has 256 Kbytes of memory, a built-in disk drive and operating system, plus a built-in modulator that will allow you to connect to a T.V. and operate in low and medium resolution modes. The 260 ST-FM can also be connected to an Atari monochrome monitor and operate in high-res mode. All features are identical to the 520 ST except for the memory, and he case is two inches deeper, to accommodate the disk drive. What is striking about the 260ST-FM is its convenience. The built in drive and power supply mean that there is a total of 3 boxes less to scatter around, trip over, and generally clutter up the workspace. No more worrying about cords and plugs for the disk drive, disk drive power supply, and computer power supply. The 260ST-FM will be released in the fall." ..as it turned out, I gather the 520 ST was released in the 130ST's case, and the 1040 in the 260 ST-FM's case." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Bill: "That's an interesting bit of ST trivia..! (er.. History... :) I remember thinking that the 260ST looked a lot more convenient than the 520.. (they didn't have the 130ST at the Summer CES where the ST was introduced.. I guess they'd already decided that a computer that couldn't even load its own operating system wasn't likely to be a very big seller..) What really was surprising was watching the Atari reps (actually they were mostly members of the Chicago user group, drafted at the last minute to man the "booth", since Atari had cancelled their CES plans, then changed their minds after all the floor space had been sold), plugging and unplugging and rebooting to get the different resolutions... no one there could believe that would be the way they'd really ship the systems when they made it to the stores. That was also the show where the guy from ActiVenture demoed the system his company was working on with Atari... get this.. an entire encyclopedia on ONE disk..! (That should be out any day now... :) I never really did understand why they released the 520 in the case they did.. the 130ST case was so much more convenient, as mentioned in the text you quoted.. and it was the case they ended up using after all with the 520STFM later anyway... guess we'll never really know." Andreas Rosenberg tells Manfred: "I also have an ST260 and here is the info you want (if you don't have it already). My ST260 bought in 1986 had 512k of RAM, but had to load the TOS (RAM V1.0) from disc. This leaves you with 200-250k of free RAM after the desktop appears. I could hardly run my PASCAL compiler to train programming during my studies. First thing you should check, if you already have the TOS in ROMs. This can easily be done by switching the computer on without any disc in the floppy drive. If the desktop appears after a few seconds (up to 30) you have TOS in ROMs. If the screen stays white you only have BOOT ROMS that can load the TOS from disc (thats on the system disc). If you have no TO it is no fun to use this computer. RAM TOS V1.0 is very very buggy and you have to less memory for 90% of all applications. Try to get ROM TOS 1.4. (I could give you ROM TOS 1.0 for a small mailing fee - it's better than nothing) If you have a lot experience in soldering you can also upgrade to 1 Meg with 16 DIL RAMs of type 41256 (256k*1 bit) where each chip is sold about $1. A good source for cheap software is the Internet. If you have access to the computer center of a university (or know somebody who has) you can easly access FTP servers via 'anonymous ftp'. I could give you the addresses of some servers that hold a lot of Atari stuff. I've also the GEMINI Atari CD-ROM (that is full of shareware and public domain for the Atari) and I could copy something for you." Meanwhile, Simon Orde posts: "I have an intermittent problem on my 520ST and I can't even work out if its a hardware problem or a software problem. The symptom i that sometimes, when I doubleclick on a folder to open it, the system bombs and reboots itself. Its not predictable - sometimes it seems that the more nested the folder, the more likely it is to happen; but that's probably psychological. If I retry the same folder, the same problem may or may not recur. It happens quite frequently - but ONLY if I'm running TOS. It doesn't seem to happen if I'm using an application to open directories, move/copy files etc. In fact, it doesn't seem to affect running apps at all, except that I think I'm getting less reliability than I should be from my diskettes. I only mention this because someone suggested that my power supply might be at fault (eg. if the machine was underpowered), and I've heard that that would affect the diskette motor. I can't see how the power supply theory could explain it; but then I can't see how anything could explain it. Any ideas anyone?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine asks Simon: "Did you check your cables between your computer and your hard drive? I had a similar problem with rebooting and it turned out to be a cable length problem." Mike Mortilla tells Simon: "You might try using FOLDERXXX.PRG (available in this forum) is you are using TOS under 1.4 as there was a bug in the OS where more than 40 folders couldn't be used. Other than that, is the problem on a particular folder or file? It might be that the file is corrupted. Also, check your files for a virus. The Atari viruses attack floopy drives mostly, and there are a number of PD and commercial utilities available for use." Simon tells Mike: "Thanks for your help. I had a look for FOLDERXXX.PRG, both in this forum and in the Atari find filder, and couldn't find it. Do you have any more suggestions about where I should look for it? Also, if you have any recommendations for specific PD virus checking software I'd be very interested. I've been out of the Atari world for a long time now (I switched to the BM PC world), and I'm totally out of touch. The TOS 1.4 folder bug idea sounds quite promising because its a very old Atari (I don't have it here so I can't check the TOS version no. right now, but I will). Incidentally, the problem only seems to occur when I double-click on folders. I only have diskette drives; so it could be a virus problem..." Well folks, I guess that I'm not as "recovered" from the AtariFest as I thought I was. I'd like to say thanks to all those who came to the show and said hello. It was great seeing Sheila, Myles, Cliff, Matt, and all the others again. See ya in person again next year, guys. 'till then, remember: Always listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" "About the Crime Bill & Health Care " """"""""""""""""" "Frank and Explicit -- that is the right line to take when you wish to conceal your own mind and confuse the minds of others..." Benjamin Disraeli """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > DEALER CLASSIFIED LIST STR InfoFile * Dealer Listings * """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" --------------- ABCO Incorporated ================= P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 Est. 1985 1-904-783-3319 1994 SUMMER SPECIALS NOW IN EFFECT! EXTENDED BY POPULAR DEMAND!! --------------------- ABCO manufactures custom storage devices! INTEL 32 BIT 486/66, VLB w/Math CoProcessor 8MB ram upgradable to 64MB 1MB SVGA VESA VIDEO CARD Sound Blaster Compatible Stereo Sound Card DOS 6.2 - Windows for Workgroups 3.11 Included 256K CACHE - 1.44/1.2 FLOPPY Drives, Mouse & 101 deluxe Keyboard 340MB IDE hd - 2 SERIAL, 1 PARALLEL, 1 GAME PORTS 250W POWER SUPPLY TOWER SYSTEM - 14" SVGA 1024x768, NI 28dpi Monitor 66Mhz, S&H Incl 1295.00 - 695.00 with order, balance COD Other High Power packages available or, design your own! 90Mhz Pentium Call for value added pricing! 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Main St. St. Charles, IL., 60174 Ph. (708) 513-5220 FULL LINE COMPUTER DEALER """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" (DEALERS; to be listed here FREE OF CHARGE, drop us a line in Email.) """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- AVAILABLE ON OVER 20,001 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" September 02, 1994 Since 1987 copyright (c) 1994 All Rights Reserved No.1036 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" All Items quoted, in whole or in part, are done so under the provisions of The Fair Use Law of The Copyright Laws of the U.S.A. Views, Opinions and Editorial Articles presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff of STReport International Online Magazine. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Reprints must, without exception, include the name of the publication, date, issue number and the author's name. STR, CPU, STReport and/or portions therein may not be edited, used, duplicated or transmitted in any way without prior written permission. STR, CPU, STReport, at the time of publication, is believed reasonably accurate. STR, CPU, STReport, are trademarks of STReport and STR Publishing Inc. STR, CPU, STReport, its staff and contributors are not and cannot be held responsible in any way for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""