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SILICON TIMES REPORT ==================== INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ============================= from STR Electronic Publishing Inc. A subsidiary of STR Worldwide CompNews Inc. May 05, 1995 No. 1118 ====================================================================== Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32221-6155 R.F. Mariano, Editor Featured in ITCNet's ITC_STREPORT Echo ----------------------------------------- Voice: 1-904-783-3319 10am-4pm EST STR Publishing Support BBS * THE BOUNTY INTERNATIONAL BBS * Featuring: * 4.5GB * of Download Files Operating with * Mustang Software's WILDCAT! 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""""""""""""""""" - STR INDUSTRY REPORT - Erasable CD's - DELL Price Cuts - Frankie's Corner - DOOM II MAC - Hypercard Updated - Win'95 Game Dev Kit - TVRO & YOU - NEW Graphic Format - JAGUAR on the WEB - People Talking - Jaguar NewsWire -* MICROSOFT PLUS! - WINDOWS 95 *- -* 130 MHZ INTEL PENTIUM TO BE OFFERED *- -* RADIUS TO SHIP MAC CLONES *- ========================================================================== 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/Fido/Internet/PROWL/USENET/USPOLNet/NEST/F-Net 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 1:112/35, Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is #620. All computer enthusiasts, hobbyist or commercial on all platforms and BBS systems are invited to participate. ========================================================================== CIS ~ DELPHI ~ GENIE ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ ITC ~ NEST ~ EURONET ~ CIX USENET ~ USPOLNET ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ~ INTERNET ~ PROWL ~ FNET ~ AOL ========================================================================== SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS is proud to distribute Silicon Times Report STReport International OnLine Magazine -------------------------------- With more than 130 Lines of PCBOARD access, Internet, Telnet and X.25 local access in every major city world-wide through SprintNet Software Creations delivers the files! -------------------------------------------------- Silicon Times Report joins names like Apogee Software, Borland, id Software, TriSoft, Interactive Gaming, PC Techniques, Coriolis, Fastgraph, PC Information Group, and many more. -------------------------------- Real-Time Credit Card Approval and Membership Upgrades The Software Download Store - for on the spot purchase/approval and download ability! -------------------------------- Call 1-800-4SWCBBS (479-2227); Fax 1-508-365-7214 for more information! ----------------------------------------------------- So, Get the latest releases from SOFTWARE CREATIONS BBS "Home of the Authors" * Software Creations, Voted #1 BBS for 1993 & 1994 * 1200/2400 V.42/MNP Lines : (508) 365-2359 2400-14.4k HST US Robotics Lines : (508) 368-7036 2400-16.8k V.32/V.42bis US Robotics lines : (508) 368-7139 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.fc Hayes Optima lines: (508) 365-9352 14.4-28.8k V.32/V.42bis/V.32terbo/V.fc US Robotics lines: (508) 368-3424 ======================================================================== 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! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" LottoMan V1.3 Results: 04/29/95: 10 3# matches ---------------------- > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" In today's modern society, with all its fancy doodads and gadgets, one thing remains the only real constant in the human scheme of things. That is the ability of man to choose. To make choices. Many of us, especially when we're buzzing down the block in the car on our way to the corner store to get the newspaper, make either a conscious or unconscious choice. Anybody know what choice that is?? The SEAT BELTS!! Yes, that is it. Just yesterday, the reality of how much good a seat belt can do was really brought home. As I sat working on a project, I heard all sorts of squealing and screeching of car brakes and finally the scrunching of the brakes of an eighteen wheeler. As I got up to go look I said to myself "this is a bad one". I had no idea how bad. After having walked the two blocks to I-295's shoulder, I saw a mass of confusion to the northeast of where I stood. I walked up there. Lord knows, was _I_ ever so sorry I had done so. A family from New York State (saw the tags) was obviously on their way back up north in their late model van. Not being aware of the sequence of events that led to this crash, all I can say is it left one child dead and another badly hurt. They were not wearing their seat belts. As parents and as responsible adults its incumbent upon all of us to get the message out to our neighbors to use those "uncomfortable, pain in the neck" seat belts. I am willing to bet I'll become a seat belt evangelist after having seen what hitting the Interstate at sixty or so miles per hour into oncoming traffic can do to a tender young body. Wear those belts! They work! Its the summertime folks and its also vacation time all over the country. Buckle-Up! Please??? And teach the kiddies how to do it too. On the computing scene, we see where the Macaroons are busy sending silly memos around their Cupertino office taking "pot shots" at Win'95. How quaint. Could this possibly be the first sign they realizing that Win'95 is something to give rise to a great of concern in the land of sauce? Personally I think they've got a great deal to be worried about. They're headed down relic row and some of them already know it. In fact, its been reported that many in Cupertino are busy talking about the "new" _ultra high end_ clone line that'll soon make its glorious debut. Time will tell. Or, maybe one of our "snoops" will get an advance peek at the new shining light for Apple. Its allegedly code named "Golden Gates". Who knows?? Of Special Note: ---------------- STReport will be branching out further to Internet's userbase in the very near future. We've received numerous requests to receive STReport from a wide variety of Internet addresses. As a result, we're putting together an Internet distribution/mailing list for those who wish to receive STReport on a regular basis, and we'll ZIP and then UUENCODE each issue and mail it to you. If you're interested in being added to our mailing list, please, send your requests to either "dpj@delphi.com" or, RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM. We are also considering a number of Internet WEB/ftp sites in which to post our issues for FTP'ing (downloading) as well. Whatever we can do to make STReport available to you. we'll try it! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Dominick J. Fontana 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 Tim Holt Patrick Hudlow Tom Sherwin Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: CompuServe................... 70007,4454 Delphi......................... RMARIANO GEnie......................... ST.REPORT BIX............................ RMARIANO FIDONET........................ 1:112/35 FNET........................... NODE 620 ITC NET...................... 85:881/253 NEST........................ 90:21/350.0 America OnLine..................STReport Internet.............RMARIANO@DELPHI.COM Internet.......70007.4454.compuserve.com Internet................STReport@AOL.Com IMPORTANT NOTICE ---------------- 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 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SYSOP NEWS & CYBERWORLD REPORT ============================== The Leading Hard Copy News Source in the BBS & Online Telecommunications World Your own personal copy mailed to your home every month; STReport's special offer! Annual Subscription Rate of $15.95!! (normally 20.95). Include the STR offer number (STR-21) for your discount. You can send your subscription in to: ------------------------------------- BBS Press Services, Inc. 8125 S.W. 21st Street Topeka, KS 66615 Or, to order by phone, Please Call: 1-913-478-3157.....(Voice) 1-913-478-9239......(Data) 1-913-478-1189.......(FAX) Note: Checks, MasterCard & Visa ok, Please include Full Name, Address, ===== Phone Number, Card type, number & expiration date when ordering. If by mail, please _sign_ your personal order. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > 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 #18 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. ******* General Computer News ******* >> Dell Cuts Dimension PC Prices << Dell Computer Corp. says it has reduced prices on its Dell Dimension PCs by an average $125 to $150. The price reductions vary by system configuration. For example, the Dell Dimension XPS P120c system configured as an office workstation, which was $3,149, is now priced at $2,999. The configuration includes 16MB of RAM, a 256K pipeline burst cache, a 1GB hard disk, a 15-inch color monitor, a 64-bit peripheral component interconnect (PCI), 1MB of video RAM, a quad-speed CD-ROM drive and preinstalled Microsoft Office 4.3 and Microsoft Bookshelf software. Dell says it was able to make the pricing move because its direct, build-to-order business model allows it quickly to pass along component cost savings to customers. Also, the computer maker says it has begun fee-based software tele- phone support for DOS, Windows and Windows for Workgroups programs bundled with Dell systems. Effective immediately, U.S. customers who purchase Dell systems can obtain software support after an initial complimentary 30-day startup period by paying a fee of $29 per call by credit card. Dell plans to provide a similar software support offering for Windows 95 upon its expected release later this year. Dell says that customers who purchase its new support service will receive priority access to software specialists. >> Suggestions Made for CD Future << A group of hardware and software makers has urged Toshiba Corp. and an alliance of Sony Corp. and Philips N.V. to put aside differences and settle on one format for future five-inch compact discs. The group -- comprised of Apple, Compaq, Hewlett-Packard, IBM and Microsoft -- also has issued recommendations for the companies that are competing to create the discs. Since December, Toshiba and the Sony-Phillips alliance have been trying to win favor for their different ideas for new CDs: -:- Toshiba, which has won backing from more studios and consumer electronics makers, plans to use both sides of a disc. -:- Sony-Phillips, which designed the original CD, plan to layer data on one side. The hardware and software firms met with Toshiba and Sony-Phillips representatives last month, but took nearly two weeks to agree on a public statement of their objectives. Released this week, the statement said the firms hope the new discs work on today's PC, are interchangeable with stereos, video game players and other devices and have a cost comparable to today's discs. Also, they said, they want the discs to not require a special caddy or cartridge. >> Apple Memo Mocks Windows95 << Rumors say an internal memo at Apple Computer Inc. is poking fun at Microsoft Corp.'s much-delayed Windows95 environment, now due for release in August. Reports say the memo, playing on the idea that "historically, Microsoft's operating system products have always sounded better six months before release than when they actually ship," reads: "It is important to remember that the only hardware platform that the final version of Windows95 is able to run on today is a slide projector!" >> 3DO Offers New Game Player << An upgraded 64-bit machine will be released later this year by inter- active game producer 3DO Co. which says the unit will re-shape home entertainment. Reports say the company, which currently sells a 32-bit Multiplayer for $400, as saying the M2 format will enable the device to offer the same performance as computer workstations and arcade players. The announcement comes more than a week before 3DO's rivals are expected to unveil demonstration models of 64-bit players. Sega Enterprises Ltd., Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. have already announced plans to put the next-generation systems on store shelves by the end of the year. 3DO's new player, which uses a compact disk format, currently faces competition in Japan from 32-bit players by Sony and Sega. Atari Corp. sells a 64-bit Jaguar, "but," says reports, "it is not considered a major contender because it offers relatively few titles." 3DO President/CEO Trip Hawkins said the M2 machine will offer far sharper graphics and much faster speed, adding, "It's a quantum leap for the industry in both graphics speed and quality. We're raising the bar again." Hugh Martin, 3DO's chief operating officer, said M2 will enable software developers to create titles that provide a whole new level of realism and experiences not previously available on advanced CD entertainment systems. >> Handheld Computer Market Grows << Dataquest reports that the worldwide handheld computer market grew by 39% in 1994, with 950,000 units shipped, and is expected to reach 5.6 million units by 1999. The market researcher notes that Hewlett-Packard Co. continued its dominance of the standard handheld market, with 27% of the market. It adds that Sharp is still the market leader in the expandable organizer market, but Psion is clearly gaining ground. >> Global Cuts Mac Modem Prices << Global Village Communication Inc. has announced price reductions on its Macintosh 14.4K bps data/fax modems. The TelePort Gold II for Macintosh desktop computers now costs $130, down from $155. The PowerPort Gold for low-end PowerBook notebook computers now sells for $229, down from $299. "With the recent surge in popularity of online services and the Internet, our fax/modems have been in unprecedented demand," says Neil Selvin, president and CEO of Global Village. "High volume has allowed us to decrease production costs, and we're happy to pass these savings along to our customers." >> Mac Version of Doom II Set << A Macintosh version of Doom II: Hell on Earth, the popular PC combat- action game, is set for release. Originally developed by id Software, published and distributed by GT Interactive Software and ported to the Macintosh by Lion Entertainment Inc., the program is scheduled to reach stores in June. Shortly there- after, a shareware version will be distributed via CompuServe and other online systems. "The PC version of Doom II has done phenomenally well at retail and we expect the Mac version to follow suit," says Allan Blum, vice president of marketing at New York-based GT Interactive Software. Doom II for Macintosh offers single-player and multi-player modes. The multi-player mode allows up to four players to join forces for cooperative play or go head-to-head in a "Deathmatch." Players can communicate with each other during combat by typing comments or sending preset messages like "Look out behind you," "Follow me," or "I've got you in my sight." Doom II for Macintosh will be available in CD-ROM and floppy disk versions. It will cost between $45 and $55. >> Hard Disk Drive Market Up 35% << According to Dataquest, the worldwide market for hard disk drives grew 35% last year to 69.3 million units. The growth was thought to be driven by strong sales in home and small office PCs. Quantum Corp. was the leader with sales up 60% to more than 16 million drives, followed by Seagate at 12.9 million, Conner Peripherals at 10.9 million, Western Digital at 8.9 million and International Business Machines Corp. at 7.95 million. Dataquest doesn't expect market shares for the top companies to exhibit dramatic changes in 1995 or 1996. (Quantum's market share increased nearly 3% points to 23.1% in 1994, while Seagate dropped to 18.7% from 19.9%.) >> Radius to Ship Mac Clones Soon << Radius Inc. will ship its first Apple Macintosh clones in limited quantity by next month, with volume shipping to begin by September. Reports say that Radius CEO Charles Berger told the Hambrecht and Quist technology conference that the first systems will be high-end computers aimed at the professional desktop publishing workplace. They will be 110-megahertz machines, he said. Radius was one of the first companies to license Apple Computer Inc.'s Macintosh operating system in December last year. >> RasterOps Unveils Name Change << RasterOps, a pioneer in the color graphics and desktop video markets, says it plans to conduct its business under the Truevision name. RasterOps and Truevision Inc. merged in 1992. Together, the companies provide a line of high-performance color graphics, display and desktop digital video products. Truevision says its primary focus will be to compete in the rapidly expanding desktop digital video market with the company's line of cross- platform video processing and authoring products. The company will maintain the RasterOps brand name as a product line consisting of high- performance, high-value graphics acceleration products. >> Apple Cuts Course Prices << Apple Computer Inc. says it has lowered prices by 30% or more on all of its Developer University self-paced training products. The computer-based courses are designed to help users begin or extend software development efforts on Apple Macintosh and Mac-compatible computers running the Mac OS. The products are used by programmers in corporate IS departments, as well as developers of commercial and educational software. Course prices now range from $70 to $559. >> 130 MHz Pentium to Be Offered << A 130 MHz version of the Pentium chip is be introduced by Intel Corp. within the next 60 days, the company says. And Intel also will introduce its 150 MHz chip by the end of the year. Intel sources also said they expect more than 20% growth in the PC market both in the U.S. and worldwide and doesn't expect Intel to become a major supplier of "motherboards" itself. >> CD-Erasable Format Planned << Ten major computer hardware and media manufacturers are banding together to develop a new CD-Erasable (CD-E) disc format. CD-E would allow users to store large amounts of information without sacrificing expensive hard disk space. CD-E drives would also be able to read all current-generation CD- ROMs. The project's backers are Philips Electronics, IBM, Ricoh, Hewlett- Packard, Mitsubishi Chemical Co., Mitsumi Electric Co., Matsushita Kotobuki Electric Industries, Sony, 3M and Olympus. "We see CD-E as the next logical extension to CD-R and to the existing CD format as being used in the computer world," says Philips spokesman Cornelius Klik. "Whereas CD-R can be used in small-office environments for applications such as file exchange and archiving, CD-E can also serve as a reliable, cost-effective medium for backup in business- critical applications. At the same time, CD-E drives will preserve users' investment in software by playing all existing CD-ROM discs." >> Packard Bell Leads PC Market << While IBM has staged a moderate comeback, Packard Bell Electronics Inc. has improved its lead as the U.S.'s top PC seller in the first quarter. International Data Corp. reports Packard Bell increased its share of the domestic market to 12.7% from 11.3% a year ago. Meanwhile, No. 4 IBM saw its share rise to 8.8% from 7.9%, partly reversing major losses last year. Compaq Computer Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. remained No. 2 and 3, respectively, but lost share to Packard Bell and IBM. Gateway 2000 was the fifth-biggest seller in the U.S., with a 5.4% share. >> Planes May Ban Electronic Units << Aviation experts are warning that airline passengers could face a worldwide ban on electronic gadgets that some fear can inadvertently plunge planes into danger. Reports from London say, "Research shows that electromagnetic inter- ference, whereby radio waves baffle plane instruments, has affected up to 100 flights and may have caused the Lauda Air disaster over Thailand in 1991 that killed 223 people." A story in The Sunday Times newspaper cites British and U.S. govern- ment safety reports that showed alerts had risen sharply in the past three years. "Electromagnetic interference from camcorders can cause planes to bank sharply to the left, laptop computers cut communication between aircraft and ground control and personal stereos may make planes drift off course," the story says. Meanwhile, a U.S. federal committee reported, "During the past three years the number of events relating to computers, compact disc players and phones has dramatically increased." >> Shapeware Unveils Name Change << Inspired by the success of its flagship Visio software, Shapeware Corp. says it is changing its name to Visio Corp. The company says the switch will provide it with a single brand identity that leverages upon the software's name recognition. Visio is a drawing and diagramming program designed for mainstream computer users. "Our long-term investment in the value of the Visio brand and in the constant enhancement of our products made the decision to move from Shapeware to Visio Corp. a natural choice," says Gary Gigot, the company's vice president of marketing. "The evolution to Visio Corp. also marks the next wave of business opportunities upon which we are embarking: deepening corporate usage of Visio beyond early adopters and technical experts, expanding distribution of Visio worldwide and an aggressive marketing strategy positioning Visio on the forefront of Windows 95- based technology." >> 2000 Chip Market Seen Tripling << Frost & Sullivan researchers predict the worldwide market for memory chips will nearly triple to $59 billion in the year 2000, growing at a 16% compound annual rate. In a statement, F&S says by 2000: -:- DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) revenues will account for a heightened 67% of total market revenues. -:- SRAM (Static RAM) 15%. -:- ROM (Read-Only Memory) 7%. -:- Flash memory chips 6%. >> Apple Updates HyperCard << Apple Computer Inc. has introduced HyperCard 2.3, a new version of the Macintosh software development tool that allows users to organize text, graphics, sound and video into "stacks" of electronic cards. According to Apple, HyperCard 2.3 provides performance improvements, ease-of-use enhancements and new color and multimedia capabilities. "Apple is committed to HyperCard as a strategic development platform," says Ike Nassi, vice president of Apple System Software Technology. "Version 2.3 provides our customers with the capabilities they require to further reduce development time and enrich the user experience." HyperCard 2.3 includes both Power Macintosh and standard Macintosh versions. Users may save their stacks as standalone applications for Power Macs, standard Macs or both. New HyperCard features include automated Button Tasks, 24-bit color paint tools, text- to-speech capabilities and multimedia software and utilities. Set for delivery this month, HyperCard 2.3 is priced at $129. Hyper- Card 2.2 customers can upgrade to HyperCard 2.3 for $39 by ordering through the Apple Developer Tools Catalog. ______________________________________________ > Win'95 Game Dev STR InfoFile """""""""""""""""""""""""""" For Release 6 a.m. PDT April 24, 1995 Microsoft Releases Beta Version of Windows 95 Game Software Developers Kit at Computer Game Developers Conference Top Game Companies Announce Support for Windows 95 SANTA CLARA, Calif. April 24, 1995 As part of a broad initiative to help make the Microsoft Windows 95 operating system a premier game platform, Microsoft Corp. today announced the beta release of the Windows 95 Game Software Developers Kit (SDK) . The SDK delivers tools and technology that will enable game developers to create high performance games for Windows 95 quickly and easily. As a sign of early game- developer momentum behind Windows 95, top game-industry companies, including 3DLabs Inc., 47-Tek, Acclaim Entertainment Inc., Accolade Inc., Activision Inc., Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Alliance Semiconductor Corp., ATI Technologies Inc., Brooktree Corp., Cirrus Logic, Creative Labs Inc., Crystal River Engineering, Deep River Publishing, Interactive Magic, Matrox Graphics Inc., MicroProse Software, Mindscape Inc., S3 Inc., Spectrum Holobyte Inc., Viacom New Media, Virtual i-O Inc., Worlds Inc. and Yamaha System Technology, announced their intent to support Windows 95 as a game platform. "Microsoft is committed to making Windows 95 the hottest game platform," said Brad Silverberg, senior vice president of the personal systems division at Microsoft. "The tools and technology we are delivering to developers will result in new levels of fast, action-packed game play." The Windows 95 Game SDK contains tools, sample code, documentation and a new game subsystem designed specifically to enable high performance and more engaging game play on Windows. The game subsystem provides a new set of game application programming interfaces (APIs) including the following: DirectDraw APIs for hardware-accelerated display performance, which enable better graphics for animation. DirectSound APIs for high-fidelity, low-latency sound and sound mixing, which enable more realistic sound effects DirectPlay APIs for simple multiplayer game connectivity, which enable game players to compete against each rather than against the computer DirectInput APIs for digital joystick support and control, which enable effective game control Currently, the Windows 95 game subsystem is available only as part of the Windows 95 Game SDK. The game subsystem is royalty free and the run time will be redistributed by game developers with their Windows 95-based games. The game subsystem will be built into future versions of Windows. "Mindscape has made a long-term commitment to the Windows platform," said Bob Lloyd, chairman and chief executive officer of Mindscape Inc. "Our product, The San Diego Zoo Presents ... The Animals!, was the first commercial product to support Video for Windows, and we are proud to be among the first to support Windows 95." Fast, Easy Game Development, Lower Support Costs The Windows 95 Game SDK makes developing games for Windows 95 faster and easier than for the MS-DOS operating system by providing game developers a standard set of system services they previously needed to implement and maintain themselves. The Game API provides device independence and broad hardware support for a wide range of game peripherals to game developers. Additionally, releasing Windows 95-based games will result in lower support costs because Windows 95 will make installing and configuring games and game peripherals dramatically easier. Windows 95 also provides AutoPlay support for automatic startup of CD- based titles and legacy device detection, further reducing installation difficulties. Consumers will benefit from Plug and Play-enhanced easy installation and from scalable performance as they upgrade their hardware. "We see a great opportunity to reach a new community of gamers by developing for Windows 95," said Stephen Gass, senior vice president of product development at Viacom New Media. Using the tools in the Windows 95 Game SDK should make development faster and easier than before. We look forward to delivering Windows 95-based games. Game peripheral vendors and hardware manufacturers will benefit additionally from the Game SDK. Peripheral vendors supporting the Game subsystem automatically will be compatible with a large number of Windows 95-based games. "The game market has been ready to embrace new technological advancements," said Henry Quan, vice president of marketing at ATI Technologies Inc. "We re pleased to be working with Microsoft to deliver the new generation of fast-action, arcade-like games by providing game- acceleration features in our products, including the GRAPHICS XRESSION board and the mach64 accelerator chips." The Windows 95 Game SDK is the most recent offering that is part of Microsoft s initiative to make Windows 95 a leading PC game platform. In February, Microsoft acquired RenderMorphics Ltd. and announced its intention to incorporate the Reality Lab real-time 3-D rendering engine into future versions of Windows. Reality Lab enables world-class, real-time 3-D games and other applications. Its APIs bring developers advanced 3-D features, reduced development cycles, a royalty-free development environment for Windows, and cross-platform capabilities, making it a powerful and cost- effective tool for a broad range of games and multimedia products. The Win32 Reality Lab version 2.0 SDK beta is expected to be available later this spring. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ MSFT ) is the worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. Microsoft, Windows, MS-DOS and Win32 are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. ______________________________________ > STR Feature """"""""""" The Kids' Computing Corner -------------------------- THE LATEST & GREATEST ===================== by Frank Sereno About one year ago, I reviewed an excellent video entitled "I Dig Fossils." The video teaches children and parents how to begin the fascinating hobby of fossil collection. A genial boy, with the assistance of his father, explains many of the intricate details of fossil hunting. The video also provides a book list and other sources of information to assist families in the fossil hobby. The producers, Mazon Productions, have just released "Astronomy 101." This video promotes amateur astronomy as a fun and fascinating family activity. Young Michelle and her mother explain the basic equipment and methodology used to stargaze. Computer animations are used to show the solar system in action, to explain how the sky changes from day to day and to aid in recognizing the constellations. Many aspects of astronomy are explained with common English rather than difficult technical terms. Michelle also explains the three types of telescopes and what to look for in home equipment. The video also shows the tremendous difference between observatory images and those you can expect on an amateur telescope. Michelle's mother explains that binoculars are a good tool, especially for moon-watching. Binoculars can be a very inexpensive way to get into astronomy. The video shows several of the moon's features as seen through binoculars. The video has some familial humor and realism due to interplay between Michelle and her brother, Scott. They say funny put-downs to each other based on their hobbies. The kidding is good-natured. In the end, Michelle's enthusiasm for astronomy has rubbed off onto her father and brother. A short book list is provided for additional material on astronomy. Also included is an address for obtaining information on astronomy clubs and planetariums. These resources should make your venture into astronomy much easier. "Astronomy 101" has good pacing. It is entertaining and educational. Science is shown as a fun hobby. Children so often think of science as some sort of torture rather than seeing it as the adventure in thinking and exploring that it truly is. If you are looking for an educational hobby that you can share with your children, astronomy is an excellent choice. View this video with your children to gauge their interest in the subject. "I Dig Fossils" and "Astronomy 101" are available in video stores and other retail outlets. Each can be purchased directly from Mazon Productions for $19.95 plus $3.95 for shipping and handling. You can call toll-free to 1- 800-332-IDIG or by U.S. Mail at: Mazon Productions Inc. P.O. Box 2427 Northbrook, IL 60065-2427 ### Super Solvers Gizmos & Gadgets Dual format CD-ROM for Macintosh and Windows ages seven to twelve suggested retail $49 by The Learning Company 6493 Kaiser Dr. Fremont, CA 94555 510-792-2101 IBM Requirements Macintosh Requirements CPU: 386/25 CPU: Mac Color Classic RAM: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs Video: 16-color VGA (256 SVGA rec.) Video: 256-color Hdisk: 1 meg Hdisk: 1 meg CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed OS: Windows 3.1 OS: System 7.0.1 Misc.: Sound card, mouse Super Solvers Gizmos & Gadgets combines science learning with racing competition. Children must decipher science puzzles to gain access to the parts they need to build racing gizmos. They must defeat Morty Maxwell, the Master of Mischief, or he will take over the research laboratory. The object of the game is to build faster racing vehicles than Morty. To do this, children must examine a blueprint and then look for parts in a warehouse maze. Morty's chimps cavort about the maze, taking items away from the player. The chimps will take a short nap if they are tossed a banana snack. To enter locked rooms, children must solve puzzles involving physical science. Puzzle topics include identifying simple machines, building machines, completing electrical circuits, magnetism and more. Hints are available in text and audible formats. To defeat Marty, the child's gizmo must be built using the best parts. He will learn mechanical and scientific facts from building each racer. For example, a blimp will travel faster if it has an internal gondola rather than an external one. The program also teaches the rudiments of aerodynamics by showing that sharply sloped, thinner bodies move faster. Moving through the maze takes logic and planning. Not only must the child avoid the chimps in the maze, but the use of various springboards and trampolines must be planned so he can reach his objectives. Sometimes these devices are an aid, at other times they are an obstacle. Movement through the maze is accomplished with the cursor keys. The control key is used for jumping. Personally, I disliked this method of control. Unfortunately, no option for a joystick or gamepad is offered. Perhaps children of the intended age group will have the proper dexterity. The graphics are full of bright colors. They are not too detailed, but they are more than adequate. The sounds are excellent. The voices are clear and distinct. Many sound effects are used throughout the program. While the music isn't "Top 40", it is very enjoyable. Gizmos & Gadgets uses a point-and-click interface with audible help available in the science puzzles and blueprint reading portions of the program. The program also includes a number of text helpfiles which detail gameplay and educational focus. The program can be customized so the focus is on certain types of puzzles. Solved puzzles are tracked so the child's progress can be gauged. Other than the cursor key maze control, I found the interface to be very good. The game is fun, but I think improved controls would make it even more enjoyable. It is very entertaining to watch Morty lose and then see his reactions to his defeat. That is a lesson in itself. Gizmos & Gadgets offers a tremendous value for education. The program teaches many of the basic concepts of physical science. It also promotes the strengthening of deductive reasoning, logic, problem-solving and experimentation skills. With a suggested retail price of $49, Gizmos & Gadgets is a very good buy. The program is available at a reduced price on floppy diskette, but the CD- ROM is enhanced greatly over the floppy version. The CD-ROM includes additional puzzles and voices. The Learning Company offers a 30-day moneyback guarantee on its products. If you are not satisfied with this product, you can return for an equivalent product or a full refund. You have zero risk when trying this product in your home. Ratings Graphics ........... 8.0 Sounds ............. 9.0 Interface .......... 8.5 Play Value ......... 8.0 Educational Value .. 9.0 Bang for the Buck .. 9.0 Average ............ 8.58 As always, I thank you for reading! ____________________________________________ > TVRO & YOU STR Feature """""""""""""""""""""" DISK SLIPPAGE ============= by Paul Guillot This weeks article is on the elusive monster called DISK SLIPPAGE. First off, there is no such thing. It should be called COUNT LOSS because that is what happens to your system in time. Your system has a motor on it that drives a worm gear or chain pulley system to move your dish along the arc. Now if there was no way to tell the system where it was a any given time, your system would not be able to find the same satellite each time. So the manufacturers have developed a way of telling how far the dish has moved. It is called a pulse count and it is not as accurate as you might wish it to be. Here's what happens... Inside your motor is a gear setup that moves a magnet or magnets by a point where there is a simple switch inside a glass tube. This switch opens and closes according to the magnets that pass by it. This is simply like turning on and off a light switch. Now there is a circuit in your system that counts how many times this switch either opens or closes. Most systems require you set the limits of your system first so it can establish a base count and then work in that number. Your installer has set your system to tell it where each satellite is according to a certain number of that count. Each system is different and even the same make/model can be different. Some motor manufacturers use various numbers of magnets to induce the count. The owner should be concerned with two other things when it comes to moving the dish. One is the extension per revolution and the speed of the motor.(EPR) If the intention per revolution is high and the speed of the motor is high then your accuracy to fine tune a satellite is hard but your dish moves fast from sat to sat. One lost count here is devastating. More and more manufacturers have made a compromise and provided good EPR and speed with a count of about 9 per degree. These motors work very well and are quite reliable. There is only one other consideration to make when buying a motor for your dish. THRUST LOAD. Motors are rated according to the amount of push or pull required to move the dish. Naturally, a bigger motor is needed to move a big dish and a smaller one could be used on a small dish. The thrust load is directly related to the type of worm gear in your motor and how well it is built. An arm with a high EPR will strain to move a big dish but move it fast. There have been motors equipped with dual speeds to make the travel faster but the possibility of a lost count increases with the speed of the motor. The magnetic field that is produced at the sensor switch is blurred on a motor that is too fast causing a count to get confused. In conclusion, If you want a faster motor so it doesn't take so long to go from sat to sat, Use a counter balance on the dish to lighten the thrust so you can use a faster motor. If not, be happy with a motor that keeps your count accurately. A new motor has been introduced into the market called Skylighter Gold. It is a fast arm with fair counts but it seems to operate just outside of the accuracy parameters that most people like to have. You know if your system needs a better motor if you have to reprogram or fine tune the satellites one a month because of the ill fated term and condition known as "DISK SLIPPAGE". ______________________________________ > Microsoft Plus! STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""""" MICROSOFT PLUS! FOR WINDOWS 95 ============================== For Release 6 a.m. PDT April 24, 1995 Microsoft Announces Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 Add-on Software Package Improves Looks and Performance of PCs; Includes Bonus Internet Jumpstart Kit REDMOND, Wash. April 24, 1995 Microsoft Corp. today announced Microsoft Plus!, a companion software package for the Windows 95 operating system. Microsoft Plus! is designed to enhance the look and performance of Windows 95-based personal computers and includes a bonus Internet Jumpstart Kit. The software package will enter beta testing at already-selected beta sites in early May and is expected to ship simultaneously with the release of Windows 95. Microsoft Plus! consists of System Agent technology and disk utilities that work behind the scenes to keep the user s PC running at peak performance; Desktop Themes that incorporate sounds, fonts, color schemes, wallpaper, screen savers, photo-realistic icons and animated cursors to improve the looks of a user s computer; and a bonus Internet Jumpstart Kit that provides easy sign-up and one-button access to the Internet. Microsoft Plus! is mag wheels and chrome trim for Windows 95, said Brad Chase, general manager of the personal systems group at Microsoft. "This product will be a must-have for Windows 95-based 486 and Pentium PC owners." Microsoft Plus! System Agent and Disk Utilities ----------------------------------------------- The Microsoft Plus! System Agent and disk tools automate PC maintenance, making it faster and easier to keep a computer in top shape. Microsoft Plus! disk utilities are part of the regular recommended care and feeding of a computer and include functions many users neglect or rely on information- services managers to take care of. Microsoft Plus! includes DriveSpace 3.0, Compression Agent, and System Agent-aware upgrades to the Scandisk and Defrag utilities that will ship with Windows 95. The Microsoft Plus! System Agent is a smart assistant that works in the background to keep a system optimized for top performance. While the system is idle, the System Agent works with the disk utilities to compress data to free up hard disk space and to clean up the hard disk, correcting any disk errors and defragmenting the hard disk. Microsoft Plus! also can be configured to back up files automatically. All these functions keep a computer running at peak performance. DriveSpace 3 is an enhanced version of the DriveSpace disk compression that will ship with Windows 95. DriveSpace 3 supports large compressed volumes (up to 2 GB) and greater compression ratios. DriveSpace 3 is also optimized for improved performance on Pentium processor-based systems. The Compression Agent is an intelligent offline compression utility for DriveSpace 3 that automatically chooses the most appropriate compression algorithm for each file on a system. When used in conjunction with the Microsoft Plus! System Agent, the Compression Agent allows users to maximize compression levels as well as PC performance by automatically compressing data when their PCs are not in use. Microsoft Plus! Desktop Themes ------------------------------ Microsoft Plus! Desktop Themes provide sounds, fonts, color schemes, wallpaper, screen savers, photo-realistic icons and animated cursors. Each Desktop Theme sets more than 75 different desktop parameters for Windows 95, using a common theme to guide the choice of selections. Microsoft Plus! Desktop Themes include Travel, Nature, Mystery, 1960s USA, Leonardo da Vinci, Science, Dangerous Creatures, Sports, Moderne, Inside Your PC and Windows 95. Customers can coordinate and switch easily among elements, adding fun and variety to their computing experience. Microsoft Plus! includes themes designed for customers with 8-bit or 16-bit color capability. Additional Microsoft Plus! features include Multimedia Pinball, a game that takes advantage of built-in multimedia support in Windows 95 to look, sound and play like an authentic pinball game, and full-window drag and font smoothing. With full-window drag, windows are dragged as solid blocks rather than outlines. Font smoothing is performed using anti-aliasing techniques and hinting of fonts, making them smoother and easier to read. Microsoft Plus! Bonus: Internet Jumpstart Kit ---------------------------------------------- Microsoft Plus! Internet Jumpstart Kit provides easy sign-up and one- button access to the Internet via the Microsoft Network. Microsoft Plus! Internet Jumpstart Kit includes a Set-Up Wizard to assist customers in signing up with an Internet service provider; the Internet Explorer, which is Microsoft s Windows 95-based World Wide Web browser; and an Internet mail reader for the Windows 95 Exchange mail client. In addition, Microsoft Plus! Internet Jumpstart Kit extends the Windows 95 shortcut functionality, so customers can create shortcuts to favorite Internet locations and then reach these locations with a single mouse click. The Internet Jumpstart components also will be available for downloading from The Microsoft Network, other online services and Microsoft s FTP server. System Requirements ------------------- Microsoft Plus! requires a Windows 95-based PC with a minimum of a 486 processor and 8MB of RAM. Depending on which Desktop Themes are installed, disk requirements vary from 25 MB to 40 MB of disk space. A sound card is recommended for Desktop Themes and Multimedia Pinball. A modem or LAN-based connection is required to access the Internet. Pricing has not yet been determined. Microsoft Plus! is expected to be available wherever Windows 95 is sold. Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ MSFT ) is a worldwide leader in software for personal computers. The company offers a wide range of products and services for business and personal use, each designed with the mission of making it easier and more enjoyable for people to take advantage of the full power of personal computing every day. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corp. """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24 bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to: STReport's Fargo Printout Offer P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155 Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please, allow at least a one week turn-around) A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N -- A T T E N T I O N """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" :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 Services copyright 1995 by General Electric Information Services/GENIE, reprinted by permission """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ _____ _______ /___| /___| /_____| /_______/ /____|/____| /__/|__| /__/ /_____|_____|/__/_|__|/__/ /__/|____/|__|________|__/ /__/ |___/ |__|_/ |__|_/_____ /__/ |__/ |__|/ |__|______/ ________________________________________ /_______________________________________/ MAC/APPLE SECTION (II) ====================== John Deegan, Editor (Temp) > NEW Graphics File Format! STR FOCUS! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Subject: PNG Letter - Msg Number: 188633 From: Diana Gruber 72000,1642 To: ALL Forum: GRAPHSUPPORT Sec: 09-Publishing Projects Date: 01-May-95 18:31:27 --------------------------------- PLEASE COPY AND DISTRIBUTE WIDELY --------------------------------- GRAPHICS COMMUNITY ENDORSES A NEW FILE FORMAT ============================================= May 1, 1995. A coalition of major software developers, publishers and technical writers announced today its endorsement for the new PNG graphics format. PNG (Portable Network Graphics, pronounced "ping") is a flexible and open format for storing bitmapped graphics images. This effort began in late 1994, when CompuServe and Unisys stunned the online world by announcing that royalties would be required on the formerly freely used GIF file format. Several companies claim a patent on the LZW compression algorithm, which is an integral part of the GIF file format. Unisys is now requiring developers, publishers, and vendors to pay royalties on any software that either creates or displays GIF files. In response to this announcement, developers hastened to replace the GIF file format with an improved royalty-free format. A coalition of experienced independent graphics developers from the Internet and CompuServe formed a working group and proceeded to design the new format. The result is the PNG format. PNG is a major advance over the venerable GIF format. By adopting PNG, you would not only be helping the computer graphics community free itself from the Unisys patent, but you would be enjoying the advantages of a powerful new graphics file format. Converting your GIF collections to PNG offers the following benefits: * PNG retains GIF's strength as a simple and portable graphics format. * PNG's compression method has been thoroughly researched and judged free from patent problems. * PNG allows support for true color and alpha channel storage. Its extensible structure leaves room for future requirements. * PNG's feature set allows conversion of all GIF files. * On average, PNG files are smaller than GIF files. * PNG offers a new, more visually appealing, method for progressive display than the scanline interlacing used by GIF. * PNG is designed to support full file integrity checking as well as simple, quick detection of common transmission errors. * Implementations of PNG are royalty-free. The advantages of making PNG an industry-standard file format are clear. We are now presented with a rare opportunity to move forward in the area of royalty-free graphics display and archiving software. Please help with the adoption of PNG by supporting it as your preferred graphics file format. For more information, source code, file specifications, developer tools, and freeware file converters, you can contact the comp.graphics Internet newsgroups or the Graphics Support Forum on CompuServe (GO GRAPHSUP). For files, check the ftp.uu.net:/graphics/png directory, or email png-info@uunet.uu.net. Thank you for supporting this project. Signed by: ---------- Michael Abrash, author, Zen of Graphics Programming Michael Console Battilana, Cloanto (Personal Paint/Write, etc.) Bradley Bell & Elizabeth Piegari, TriSoft (Depth Dwellers) Andrei Belogortseff, ChaoSoft (FM StepUp, FM Toolbar, FM Guard, etc.) C. Steven Blackwood, Cytherean Adventures (Cargo Bay) Robert K. Blaine, ECONO-SOFT John Bradley, author of XV John Bridges, author of GRASP, PC Paint and PICEM Rick Byrnes, The Software Development Group (NoteWorthy, MoneyWise, Eventz, and various shareware products.) Tony Caine, ARCaine Technology George Campbell, OsoSoft (Winclip, etc.) Mike Ceranski, President, Dvorak Development Lee Crocker (Piclab, PGIF, GTools) Karen Crowther, Redwood Games (Math Rescue, Word Rescue, Pickle Wars) E. Nicholas Cupery, Farba Research (Farba Utilities (tm)) Thomas Boutell, author of the gd library and the World Wide Web FAQ Gary Elfring, Elfring Soft Fonts (Clip Art) Steve Estvanik, Cascoly Software (Winzle, Windows in Time, MVP Bridge) Jim Faliveno, Monumental Computer Applications, Inc. (TagVue-CaddView) Dan Farmer, POV-Team (POV-Ray) Oliver Fromme, TBH-Softworx (QPEG, PicDex) John Gallant, First Magnitude (3-Ball Juggler, Beat the Bomb, Math Sampler) Lawrence Gozum, author (VIDVUE) Phil Grenetz, Ivden Technologies Diana Gruber, Ted Gruber Software, Inc. (Fastgraph) David Hofmann (Computer Graphics Artist, Germany) Michael D. Jones, Insight Software Solutions (Finance/Hobbies/Word Games) Lutz Kretzschmar, coauthor of Ray Tracing Worlds (Moray) Tom Lane, organizer, Independent JPEG Group (IJG JPEG software) Steve Lee (Atlantic Coast plc) Ralph Mariano @ STReport International Online Magazine David K. Mason, author of Morphing on Your PC, coauthor of Making Movies on Your PC (DTA, DFV, DMorf) Randy Maclean, Formgen Corp. Brad McLane, Caladonia Systems Inc. (Code.Print, ToolThings) Al Meadows/Fineware Systems (Author of Space Hound, Peeper, etc.) Scott Miller, Apogee Software, Sultans of Shareware Jeff Napier, Another Company (Computer Magic) Peter Nielsen, Raja Thiagarajan, Julie England (PMView & PMSnap for OS/2) David Noakes, Fugue Software Dick Oliver, author of PC graphics books and software including Tricks of the Graphics Gurus, PC Graphics Unleashed, and FractalVision Dan Richardson, illustrator, author of Create Stereograms on Your PC John Richardson, Rogue Marketing (Amazing Secrets Series, Gambling Secrets, JobDisk) Steve Rimmer, Alchemy Mindworks Inc. (Graphic Workshop, etc.) Greg Roelofs, Info-ZIP (Zip, UnZip and related utilities) Guy Eric Schalnat, Group 42 (PNGLIB, GraphX Viewer) Paul Schmidt, Photodex Corporation, GDS (The Graphics Display System) Monty Shelton, CrystalWorks (EZCosmos, SIRDS for NIRDS, Language Wiz) Steve Sneed, Ozarks West Software, Inc. (OzCIS, OzWin, OZBEXT/OZGIF) David Snyder, MVP Software (MVP Paint) Chuck Steenburgh, Tay-Jee Software (Palantir for DOS & Windows, S.O.S.) Peter Tiemann (author of TrueBase) Glen Tippetts, NeoSoft Corporation (NeoPaint, NeoBook, etc.) Rod Underhill, Computer Fine Artist (CIS Comic Forum's Underhill Gallery) John Wagner (Improces) Bruce F. Webster, Pages Software Inc (WebPages by Pages) Tim Wegner, author of Image Lab and Fractal Creations (Fractint) Rosemary West, R. K. West Consulting (By The Numbers, LoveDOS, etc.) Thomas R. White, Recreational Engineering Associates (MultiMedia Swiss Army Knife) Charles L. Wiedemann, Rexxcom Systems (XL2001, E-Z-Book, etc.) Terry Wilkinson, CIO, AffNet Publishing Ben Williams, Black Belt Systems Inc. (WinImages, Imagemaster, etc.) Jeff Woods, deltaComm Development, Inc. (Telix for Windows) ********************************************************************** 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! -* ANNOUNCING: DELPHI INTERNET JET *- -------------------------------------- Windows-based graphic interface for the otherwise text-only Delphi online service. In addition to providing the user with a graphic interface, Delphi Internet Jet can be configured to automatically gather Delphi Internet e-mail and forum messages, and place them into a QWK packet for the user's existing QWK mail reader! Complete instructions for setup, operation, Delphi membership, and a FREE five hour trial included in the INTJET.TXT file. ************************************************************ ATARI/JAG SECTION (III) ======================= Dana Jacobson, Editor > From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""""""""" I'm usually complaining about how long the weeks have been lately; this week just flew by! I can't believe I'm just going to make my deadline this week! Before I forget, I wanted to take a moment to thank the folks at Merlin Software, in the U.K., for sending me out the premier issue of the newest Atari magazine to hit the streets: Atari World. I've begun a review of this innovative magazine, but it hasn't been completed yet. I did want to say that this magazine is quite good from the start. It's also unusual in that there are actually three distinct magazines: Atari World, ST Source, and Atari Pro. Atari World is the primary magazine. ST Source is a "how-to" magazine providing helpful hints for the beginning ST user, or so it seems. It's very informative; and I actually learned something that is essentially very basic, but never realized before. Atari Pro is more advanced, and also very informative. Both Source and Pro are both very small magazines, page-wise. However, they're nice. More details next week! Well, we have a lot of information and news for you this week, so let's get on with the issue! Until next time... _________________________________________ Delphi's Atari Advantage! TOP FIVE DOWNLOADS (5/3/95) (1) SPEED OF LIGHT 3.8 (2) UNIVERSAL PRINT CONTROL ACC (3) SILKBOOT 3 *(4) NISHIRAN! (5) LITTLENET/MIDI PORT NETWORK PRG. * = New on list HONORARY TOP 5 The following on-line magazines are always top downloads, frequently out-performing every other file in the databases. STREPORT (Current issue: STREPORT 11.17) ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE (Current issue: AEO: VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4) Look for the above files in the RECENT ARRIVALS database. _____________________________________________ > The Atari WEB Pages STR Feature """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Atari Web Pages Latest News ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~ Version 1.0 ~~~~~~~ ~~~ Date 21/4/95 ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ by Mark Stephen Smith ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ 5th Update ~~~ ~~~~~~ Foreword ~~~~~~~~ Hello and welcome to the news item on the Atari Web pages. This document will describe the Atari Web pages as provided by Mark Stephen Smith and will include a list of the latest updates for the month. Each month I hope to update this text with the very latest additions and news on the Atari Web pages. Hopefully these pages will provide an invaluable service to their users, but they are still at an early stage and developing all the time. As such any feedback and support you may have for these pages is more than welcome, it is in fact encouraged. The more input I get from its users the better, as then I will know what is good and bad about these pages and can change them appropriately in the hope of increasing their value to their readers. Now on with the show. News and Changes ---------------- Well since the original description a lot has happened. I'm now involved in several projects, and submit work to several Internet and diskmag sources for inclusion. I have also officially took over the maintenance of the Atari FTP list from Hallvard Tangeraas of which there have been a couple of updates. New items in this document since the last copy will be marked with **, updates will be marked with a U. All new items are also listed below according to the date they were added. This update is special as it contains the updates from the last two months rather than one month as is usual for the updates. This is a one off however and has happened due to the fact that my Web pages had to close down in March and a new site had to be found before the service was resumed. A new site was successfully found but I felt there were insufficient updates that month because of these events and therefore this update is larger containing both months. Please make a note of the sites new address and update any links or bookmarks to the Atari pages to the new address. Thank you! The new items this month are: ----------------------------- 21/4/95 -- Nova Graphics Board Announcement 21/4/95 -- Sozobon C Announcement 21/4/95 -- FTP site Announcement 20/4/95 -- Speed of Light v3.8 update 18/4/95 -- Atari FTP list updated 18/4/95 -- Doom Review for Jaguar by Robert Jung 18/4/95 -- ECTS News 18/4/95 -- Kasumi Ninja Moves List 18/4/95 -- Coming soon for the Jaguar title list updated. 18/4/95 -- HENSA Atari TOS Newsletter Volume 8. No.7. 12/4/95 -- Speed of Light 3.7b update 12/4/95 -- Fried Bits Eastern Coding Convention 3 Announcement 12/4/95 -- CAIN Newsletter Volume 2. No.3 12/4/95 -- Apex Media Demo for the Falcon 12/4/95 -- HENSA Atari Falcon Newsletter Volume 8. No.3 12/4/95 -- Raiden Tips for Jaguar 12/4/95 -- Lynx FAQ Updated 12/4/95 -- Jaguar FAQ updated 05/4/95 -- Jaguar Game Cheats 05/4/95 -- Theme Park review for Jaguar by Robert Jung 05/4/95 -- AEO Newsletter Volume 4. Issue 4. in text and ZIP format 28/3/95 -- Jaguar Reviews pages format updated by Holger Kipp 27/3/95 -- Falcon Demo FAQ Updated. 27/3/95 -- 50/60 Hz Jaguar games adjusting to resolution list 27/3/95 -- Iron Soldier Jaguar Review by Holger Kipp 27/3/95 -- Syndicate Jaguar Review by Holger Kipp 27/3/95 -- Cannon Fodder Jaguar Review by Holger Kipp 27/3/95 -- Theme Park Jaguar Review by Holger Kipp 24/3/95 -- HENSA Atari TOS Newsletter Volume 8. No.6. 23/3/95 -- Pages re-open at new site, links being updated. 22/3/95 -- Pages closed down. 17/3/95 -- Given the news these pages must close at Daresbury by the 22/3/95. 15/3/95 -- Portfolio Club 14/3/95 -- Atari FTP List Update 14/3/95 -- Towers II : Plight of the Stargazer 14/3/95 -- HENSA Atari TOS Newsletter Volume 8. No.5 10/3/95 -- Questions and Answers question 15 answered 10/3/95 -- Towers II release announcement 07/3/95 -- Atari Related Links Page 07/3/95 -- Information on viruses 07/3/95 -- CAIN Newsletter Volume 2. No.2 03/3/95 -- Lynx FAQ updated 03/3/95 -- Jaguar FAQ updated 02/3/95 -- Wolfenstein 3D Jaguar Review by Robert Jung 02/3/95 -- Iron Soldier Jaguar Review by Robert Jung 02/3/95 -- Jaguar Bubsy Bobcat (In Fractured Furry Tales) Review by Robert Jung 02/3/95 -- Jaguar Val D'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding Review by Robert Jung 28/2/95 -- AEO Newsletter Volume 4. Issue.3 in text and ZIP format What are the Atari Web pages? ----------------------------- These are a collection of pages covering all formats of the Atari. In these pages may be found the latest news, reviews, software for downloading, and various other information and links to other places of interest to Atari users. I have tried to make the structure of these pages easy to follow and as intuitive as possible but there is still a lot of work to be done yet. How do I access them and what is the Web? ----------------------------------------- First of all I shall look at what the Web is or to use its full name the World Wide Web. The Web is new way of accessing the Internet, unlike previous methods where you were required to enter commands into the program you were using the Web uses a more user driven method of getting around the Internet. This method is much more graphical than former methods and as such is much easier to get to grips with. When using a Web browser (the name given to a program used to access Web pages) the control method usually consists of a point and click operation. A Web page will consist of text and graphics which are sometimes highlighted in some way to indicate that they are selectable and link to more information or a particular piece of data. Such a link is referred to as a hyperlink. In fact the whole system is a variation on hypertext and uses a script to create each page. Each script is written to a HTML (HyperText Markup Language) standard which contains the main body of text in the page and a few command tags for the browser as to how to format the page and what to do with links, etc. Web pages may contain text, graphics, sounds, and animations, although the later two are normally supported through external software. It is also possible using the Web to gain access to newsgroups, ftp sites, and gopher services all through the one program. As such this makes this a very powerful tool for Internet access, and coupled with its ease of use this has suddenly became the big thing in the recent Internet explosion into the media. Browsers can handle all properly written HTML scripts but may vary in operation when scripts are incorrect or contain mistakes. Browsers can be divided into to distinct types, graphical and text only. Popular graphical browsers include NCSA's Mosaic and the recent new browser NetScape. On the text side Lynx is the most popular textual browser (NOTE: text browsers don't show any form of graphics). To access the Web you must either use one of the above mentioned browsers on a machine such as a Sun, PC or Macintosh, or if you want to access it via your Atari you will need a copy of the Lynx browser as unfortunately there aren't any graphical browsers YET for the Atari. Where do I find the Atari Web page? ----------------------------------- From your Web browser choose to open URL and enter the following address: http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html If you can store a hotlist of addresses or something similar on your browser then it may be worth including this address for quick access in the future. Once you've done that you should see my main page so I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to write with your thoughts. (*NOTE*: This is the new site for the Atari Web pages, take note of it!) What you will find in the Web pages every month. ------------------------------------------------ From the main menu you have several links available to you, some under miscellaneous and others specific to a particular machine, or collection of machines. It is now possible to mail me directly from the Web pages, special thanks also to Frank Charlton for the new Atari Logo. First I will look at what will be in the Miscellaneous section. Atari Related links, Documents, FAQ's and Newsletters ----------------------------------------------------- First in the list are "Atari Related Links", these links are to other sources of Atari information or data (such as files, etc.). There is a link to many of the major Atari holding FTP sites on the Internet. Links to several Web pages by different people on the Atari. This will grow as worthwhile sites come up. At the moment you can visit: - HENSA to download Atari files (Moderated by Denesh Bhabuta) - ZFC's Atari Pages by Annius V. Groenink. This has links to various Atari related places, along with talk of his own work on Edith and his new Drive U Project. Annius is also working on a version of the Mosaic browser for the Atari and the best of luck goes to him on that. - Christer Gustavsson's Atari Gem Programmers Page. Very useful information for programmers grappling with Gem and the operating system. Also offers help via his questions answers page. Some links can be found to Atari related places. - CAIN Atari Pages. CAIN is the Central Atari Information Network and they create a newsletter which is updated monthly on all things new to do with the Atari. There are also links available here. - Martin Maisey's Atari Pages. Contains information (downloadable) on programs written by himself for the Atari. Again there are links to other Atari places. - Toad Computers Pages. Stockiest and retailer of many Atari goods. - ST Format Pages. Information and previews of ST Format issues. **Volker Burggraf Atari Pages (German). **Desert Star Software Home Page. **ST Assembler Page **BSM's Home Page **ST Beer Mat Page **The Organised Chaos Licenseware Home Page **Index of /~jschlich/Jaguar/ **Lynx Pages **Atari Lynx Page **Atari Page by Frank Post (Partially German, partially English) **MiNTOS Distribution and Information Page **Julian's Atari Page **Atari Ghostscript **Atari Page by Robert Krenn **Simon Gornall's Atari Pages **Ben Halls Page (KSculpt + Calamus Information) **"Data Uncertain" Software **Kay's Home (MintNet) **CNAM Atari Pages **EMAGIC Users Page (Covers Atari) **Helmut's Project contains Atari Links (English and German) **Eero Tamminen's Atari Pages **Atari Programmers Page **The Vulcans Home Page **Atari Users List **Impulse Home Page (Demo Crew) **NPG Home Page (Demo Crew) **Atari Page by Dirk Klemmt **Steve's Atari WWW Pages **The Guitar Reference (For the Atari) **Musings of an Amateur Hacker **The Atari Home Page by Martijn Dekker **Tecnation Sonovista (Falcon based computer) **Cybercube WWW Page (Atari Products) **Yak's Zoo **Atari Jaguar 64-Bit Game Machine Stuff **8 Bit Atari Page by Ivo van Poorten **Atari Jaguar Homepage by Christian Svensson (very good and kept up to date) **Jaguar directory Documents --------- Useful documents will appear in here. At the moment there is: Atari FTP List by Mark Stephen Smith (essential for the latest news on who provides Atari FTP sites). - Atari TOS Desktop Survival Kit by Thomas J Hopper. An essential guide to getting the most out of your DESKTOP.INF and NEWSDESK.INF files. - Recommended list of software for the Atari by Denesh Bhabuta. List compiled by Denesh for me of his best software for the Atari (updates coming soon). Mostly PD and Shareware, this list contains links to download most of the software mentioned. - Information on picture formats by Dave Bagget. Lots of information on the format of different picture files for the Atari. **Information on Viruses. FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions) ---------------------------------- Useful FAQ's will appear here. At the moment there is: - Atari ST SLIP FAQ. This is a guide to connecting your Atari to a network. All you want to know about networks and the Atari. - Atari CD FAQ. Information on getting and using CD's on the Atari. Regular updates to this can be found in my pages. - GDOS FAQ by Gerd Castan. Got a question on GDOS then this is the place to look. - MiNTNet FAQ by Christer Gustavsson. Everything you wanted to know about MiNTNet. - AtariNOS FAQ by Frank Charlton. Answered questions and information on NOS. Newsletters ----------- Although there may be more to come the following newsletters are updated promptly as I receive them. These have been re-organised to make it easier to keep track of. At the moment there is: CAIN Newsletter containing the latest Atari news. HENSA Newsletter containing the latest updates to the HENSA Atari archive. AEO Newsletter containing the latest Atari news. Newsgroups ---------- Atari related newsgroups. Send updates. The currently supported news are: comp.binaries.atari.st comp.sys.atari.advocacy comp.sys.atari.announce comp.sys.atari.st comp.sys.atari.st.tech comp.sys.atari.programmer rec.games.video.atari alt.games.lynx Questions and Answers --------------------- Submit your questions to here and get them included in this page. Answers are open to anyone who has something valid to say, and help is provided to me on Programming and Music questions by several knowledgeable sources. Please support this section, only by your interaction and questions will it survive. All answers are included in this page for anyone else with the same question and answers are also sent back to the person who submitted the question for those without Web access. If you feel you have an expertise in a particular area concerning the Atari and would be willing to answer questions on that area when and if I submitted them to you, then please let me know and you can join the team. Programming and Music are fairly well covered and I can cover Graphics programs, help with Technical questions would be appreciated. Reviews ------- Here I hope to include reviews of Atari products both new an old. So far I have the following reviews: - Kobold review by Andy Curtis (ST Format) - Flash 2 review by Frank Charlton (ST Format) - Edith Professional review by Frank Charlton (ST Format) - MagiC review by Andy Curtis (ST Format) - Stello v2 review by Mark Stephen Smith (Myself) - Sportster Modem review by Frank Charlton (ST Format) - Storm Tracker review by Andy Curtis (ST Format) - Connect review by Frank Charlton (ST Format) - Zero 5 review by Frank Charlton (ST Format) - MIDI Grid review by Andy Curtis (ST Format) There are several reviews on the way by the above mentioned people as well as some by myself. This section is now growing well now and Nick Peers from ST format recently expressed his interest in writing some reviews also. Again if you feel you would like to submit reviews for inclusion then please write to me. Please note these pages don't include Lynx and Jaguar Reviews, as they are contained within their own pages. News and Announcements Pages ---------------------------- Latest Atari news, and announcements from the Atari World. Currently contains the following: **Nova Graphics Board Announcement **Sozobon C Announcement **FTP site Announcement **Fried Bits Eastern Coding Convention 3 Announcement **Portfolio Club Announcement **Towers II release Announcement - Universal Virus Killer Book Announcement Updates and Information on these Web Pages ------------------------------------------ All updates and news on the Atari Web pages goes in here. Previews of what's to come soon are included and new items or updates to the pages are listed according to date with the most recent being first. Most updates contain links to the new material for instant access. Other things to be found in here are the number of accesses to the Atari pages. At the moment this is not supported. This now concludes the Miscellaneous section. Now onto the Other Pages. These pages are specific to a particular machine, or collection of machines. These are going to go through some major changes and you can expect a fair number of changes to be made to these in the next month or so. Falcon Page ----------- This will contain information and files relevant to the Atari Falcon, currently this page is divided into the following areas: News and Previews ----------------- In here expect to see any news or previews that come my way, whether they be small descriptions or full features with pictures. At the moment there is: - Pinball Dreams and Llama Zap News. - Apex News. This contains some information I got on Apex Media for the Falcon when I spoke to Douglas Little on the phone a few weeks back. Not very detailed unfortunately, but I'm waiting on my copy of Apex to give a full review so expect that to be rectified soon. - Dextrous News. Small description of some of the features of Dextrous with a picture. Only at an early stage of development, if I hear more it will go in here. - Towers II : Plight of the Stargazer. Pictures and description of this great looking Falcon only sequel to Towers. Expect the demo soon. - Towers II : Plight of the Stargazer Update! The latest news on developments. Newsletters from HENSA on Falcon section of archive. Misc ---- Miscellaneous information on the Falcon, including: Falcon Demo FAQ. List of Demos for the Falcon, including some form of information on each. - Compatibility list of games with Falcon. - Compatibility list of applications with Falcon. - Falcon Specifications and Information compiled by Rod McCall. New Software ------------ The latest Falcon/enhanced software available for download. Major revisions to be done with updates here. All files now list their size so you can see how large they are before downloading. At the moment the following software is included, with more to come: **Apex Media Demo (Demo version of the animation and art package for the Falcon) **Towers II (Shareware game) - Super Bomber Man (freeware) - Play MPEG v0.70 by M.D.Griffths (shareware) Speed of Light v3.8 (shareware picture viewer) - Scape a planetary landscape generator. - Digital Tracker demo of commercial version. - Obsession 1 level demo. FOG issue 8 diskmagazine for Falcon. Other software worth having --------------------------- Software worth using on the Falcon. - Backward v2.52. For compatibility with the ST. Please send any versions which are newer than this. - MultiBlow. Configurable overscan utility. - Starball. Excellent pinball game (Falcon enhanced). - Berzerk. Excellent version of Berzerk (Faster on Falcon). - FOG issue 7 diskmagazine for Falcon. - FOG issue 6 diskmagazine for Falcon. Atari ST/STE/TT/Mega STE Page ----------------------------- This will contain information and files relevant to all the above mentioned Atari formats, currently this page is divided into the following areas: News ---- In here expect to see any news or previews that come my way, whether they are small descriptions or full features with pictures. At the moment there is: Newsletters from HENSA on TOS section of archive. New Software ------------ The latest (most recent versions) software available for download. Major revisions to be done with updates. All files now list their size so you can see how large they are before downloading. At the moment the following software is included, with lots more to come: Speed of Light v3.8 (shareware picture viewer). - ST Zip v2.6. Latest version of ST Zip. - Obsession demo. 1 level of this great pinball game. Other Software worth having --------------------------- Software worth having on the Atari. - Utopus. Two player shootem' up (STE only). - Ozone. Good platform/puzzler. - Starball. Excellent pinball game. - Berzerk. Excellent version of Berzerk. Lynx Page --------- All the latest news and reviews on the lynx, along with cheats, etc. This page is divided in to the following areas: News ---- News on the Lynx and related material. At the moment there is: - Lynx Summer Steal Deal Extended to the Fall. News of price reductions for a limited period. Reviews ------- Reviews for just about every Lynx game ever released will appear in here. All reviews are by Robert Jung. At the moment the following reviews are included: APB Awesome Golf Baseball Heroes Batman Returns Basket Brawl Bill and Ted's BlockOut BattleWheels Blue Lightning California Games Checkered Flag Chip's Challenge Crystal Mines 2 Dino Olympics Dirty Larry:R'gde Cop Dracula the Undead Double Dragon Desert Strike Electro Cop European Soccer Chal. Ultimate Chess Chal. Gauntlet:3rd Encounter Gordo 106 Hard Driven' Hockey Hydra Ishido:Way of Stones Jimmy Conners' Tennis Joust Klax Kungfood Lemmings Lynx Casino Malibu Bikini Volleyball Ms.Pac-Man NFL Football Ninja Garden Ninja Garden III : The Ancient Shop of Doom Other Lynx Stuff ---------------- Other items of interest to Lynx owners. At the moment there is the following: Lynx FAQ - Lynx Tips and Tricks New Software Announcement ------------------------- Currently empty. **************************** Jaguar Page ----------- All the latest news and reviews on the lynx, along with cheats, etc. This page is divided in to the following areas: News and Previews ----------------- All the latest news and preview information I can find related to the Jaguar. **ECTS News **Hyper Image page linked to (Makers of Jaguar game Hover Hunter). - Jaguar CD Specifications - Rebellion Development News - Sinister Developments News - Sensible Soccer News Coming Soon! - Hand Made Software News Reviews ------- A collection of reviews from different sources, hopefully I will be contributing more to this section myself. This page has been re-formatted thanks to Holger Kipp. Reviews so far include: Aliens vs Predator - by Eric S.Boltz Aliens vs Predator - by Robert Jung Brutal Sports Football - by Randy ** Bubsy Bobcat (in Fractured Furry Tales) - by Robert Jung Checkered Flag - by Robert Jung ** Cannon Fodder - by Holger Kipp Cybermorph - by Robert Jung ** Doom - by Robert Jung Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story - by ????? ** Iron Soldier - by Robert Jung ** Iron Soldier - by Holger Kipp Raiden - by Robert Jung ** Syndicate - by Holger Kipp Tempest 2000 - by Robert Jung ** Theme Park - by Holger Kipp ** Theme Park - by Robert Jung Trevor McFur in Crescent Galaxy - Jer Howitz ** Val d'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding - by Robert Jung Wolfenstein 3D - by Robert Jung ** Wolfenstein 3D - by ????? There are many more reviews to come. Other Jaguar Stuff ------------------ Miscellaneous information on the Jaguar. Information included presently is: Jaguar FAQ - Raiden Tips - Jaguar Game Cheats - Kasumi Ninja FAQ - Ultra Vortex FAQ update for Jaguar **50/60 Hz, games adjusting to resolutions list **Jaguar Game Cheats **More Raiden Tips **Kasumi Ninja Moves List Other Jaguar Pages ------------------ Other pages specific to the Jaguar included in here. Currently there is: - Atari Jaguar Homepage by Christian Svensson There are others that will be included, some containing more recent news, but the one above is the most organised and intuitive one I've came across. 8 Bit Atari Page by Ivo van Poorten ----------------------------------- Not maintained by me these pages cover the 8 bit formats of Atari machines and are very comprehensive. Nearly everything you could hope to find is contained within these pages. What to expect in the future ---------------------------- Some structural changes are likely to appear in the next months. I have introduced an announcements page where you can tell the World of anything you have to announce. Please send news of updates to your programs, Atari stuff for sale, and any other Atari announcements here (NOTE : Commercial companies should send information on products to be included in here and in the news sections). Also coming soon will be a monthly editorial. In this I will try and sum up the month past and to give my opinions on how I saw things for Atari at that time. Hopefully I will be able to look back over many good developments in my pages and summarise them as they happened. There is an outside possibility of starting a programmers and/or MIDI section in these pages but this is as yet undecided. I will judge whether or not to do this based on the kind of response I have. I do not want to repeat any of the good work done in these fields however by other Web page writers such as Christer Gustavsson (Where is the response for these pages?) More support is needed for the questions and answers pages, although initially successful people just stopped posting their questions. Although the odd one is still coming and answers are still forthcoming. Please support this, it is of benefit to anyone who uses it. The Jaguar section should have a lot more news, pictures and reviews in the future. I have tracked down a fair bit of news and am in contact with a few companies now and hope to get news from them on there products. Both the ST and Falcon sections should contain much more news in the future, along with more of the best PD/Shareware, and PD/Shareware reviews. I should have several demos hopefully in the near future for games coming out on these formats. The Lynx section is to continue to get reviews and I will update the news as and when I get it. Sorry about the lack of updates recently, more to come. Expect more links to Atari related pages in the future. There will be more newsletters, documents, updates to the FAQ's. Expect further reviews from Andy and Frank, along with myself (watch out for the Apex Media review). Hopefully I can include more screenshots, and do a few program tutorials. Nick Peers of ST Format and Holger Kipp have offered to support these pages with contributions in the future. Please write with your ideas, critcisms, comments, submissions (software, news, reviews, questions, etc), to me and don't forget that I am now the official maintainer of the Atari FTP list originally by Hallvard Tangeraas. All updates to this list should now be sent to me. Thank you and see you with the updates to these pages next month! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + Mark Stephen Smith : msh@dl.ac.uk + + Atari Web Pages : http://www.mcc.ac.uk/~dlms/atari.html + + + +=====================================================================+ + Atari FTP List maintainer, Atari Web Page creater and maintainer. + + Atari 1040STF, 4Mb Falcon 127Mb HD, Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ______________________________________ -/- Court Orders Help for Hayes -/- A federal judge has ordered emergency relief for modem maker Hayes Microcomputer Products by issuing a temporary injunction compelling Rockwell International Corp. to deliver all chips and chip sets required for Hayes' modem production through July. "We made every effort to negotiate with Rockwell so we could avoid this lawsuit," Hayes Chairman/President Dennis C. Hayes said in a statement from Atlanta, "but everyone, including our creditors, channel partners, customers and employees, stood to lose if we did not take the action necessary to acquire the chip sets we need." Hayes said the ruling will allow his firm "to resume full product delivery and meet continuing strong demand for our products in the marketplace." In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Hugh Robinson said, "Hayes' unrebutted testimony that Rockwell's top management promised to furnish sufficient chips to Hayes' in exchange for a paid-up '302 Patent' license negates Rockwell's purported concern for its other customers. Testimony by Rockwell shows that it was the creator of its own product shortage. Rockwell's admitted knowledge that other customers were 'overbooking' while Hayes could not do so under limitations in its cash collateral order and Rockwell's failure to take customers' existing inventory levels or financial circumstances into account further indicate the lack of fair and reasonable allocation." Hayes filed a voluntary Chapter XI bankruptcy petition last November, due in part, the firm said, to operational difficulties which caused the company to have a temporary cash shortage. As reported earlier, the company has posted operating profits both fiscal quarters since filing. ___________________________________ -/- CompuServe Tops 3 MILLION MEMBERS -/- CompuServe Inc. reports it now has more than 3 million active accounts and is signing up as many as 60,000 new members each week. The firm attributes the growth to the rising interests in online services, CompuServe's improved Internet access and increased content. In a statement from his Columbus, Ohio, office, Vice President Barry F. Berkov says CompuServe has the largest active membership of any online service and is the only global service with members in more than 150 countries. "Although many people think of CompuServe as the place for business and computer support services," said Berkov, "the majority of CompuServe's members are individuals who see us as the place for multimedia involvement through CompuServeCD, dynamic online news and entertainment services through CNN, Sports Illustrated, People Magazine and much more. With the industry's only direct dial-PPP connection to the Internet and World Wide Web, and a global presence that offers our members citizenship in a true world community, we expect to grow even faster in the coming year." _________________________________ -/- Clinton Proposes Anti-Smut Bill -/- The Clinton administration apparently is putting together a plan to keep obscenity and child pornography off computer networks, racing, says observers, to stay ahead of Congress on the issue. Kent Markus, an acting assistant attorney general at the Justice Department, wrote in a letter yesterday to senators, "We are currently developing a legislative proposal that will best meet these challenges and provide additional prosecutorial tools." Associated Press writer Jeannine Aversa notes that while the administration "has raised constitutional concerns about other plans to restrict smut in cyberspace," Markus said the Clinton team's own legislative package will take into consideration "the need to protect fundamental rights guaranteed by the First Amendment." Adds Aversa, "It's not clear how the administration would do this." Details haven't been released. As reported earlier, Senate legislation reforming telecommunications laws contains a provision outlawing smut in computer communications and over telecommunications networks of the future. Written by Sen. James Exon, D-Nebraska, the proposal would punish people who transmit "obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy or indecent" materials and would impose fines of up to $100,000 and jail terms of up to two years on violators. Exon's provision has drawn fire from the Clinton administration, the American Civil Liberties Union, computer users and privacy groups, all raising First Amendment concerns and saying it would outlaw indecency, which is constitutionally protected speech. But Exon says his proposal is consistent with the First Amendment because the courts have permitted regulation of protected speech in the interests of children. Meanwhile, Markus says the administration has other concerns, specifically that Exon's plan would thwart enforcement of existing laws regarding obscenity and child pornography, threaten privacy rights and have the unintended consequences of jeopardizing law enforcement's ability to conduct court-ordered wiretaps. Markus wrote that the Exon proposal would thwart enforcement by creating a higher legal standard than now exists for the government to prove guilt. Only those persons with "actual knowledge" of the "specific content of the (unlawful) communication" could be held criminally liable, he said. AP notes the administration is recommending Congress undertake a comprehensive review of current laws and enforcement resources for prosecuting online obscenity and child pornography. _________________________________ Jaguar Section ============== Hover Strike! Atari Tours Again! Fight For Life Updates! JaguarCD Survey! And much more! > From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is! """""""""""""""""""""""""""" The delay of the JaguarCD has been dominating the message forums on many areas of the online community lately. So, with the aid of one CompuServe user, Bob McCauley, we're going to conduct a survey of your feelings about this, and how you might react with regard to buying this piece of hardware. Please send your comments and we'll publish the results shortly. All correspondence should be addressed to: dpj@delphi.com. Atari is in the midst of their second "dog and pony" tour of the Los Angeles area promoting the Jaguar. We missed getting in last week's announcement in last week's issue, but we do have reactions to that tour. We also have this week(end)'s information for those of you who can get a chance to drop by a location where Atari personnel will be visiting. It sounds like a lot of fun. My feeling is that this is something that might work well nationally - these "regional" promotions just aren't enough. Although this is just a test promotion, I'd wager that it would go over well in a more widespread promotion. Atari could also enlist Jaguar-support groups to help out. We'll see what happens. I've recently received Pinball Fantasies from Computer West (I may have mentioned this last week). The game is a lot of fun so far, but I need some more time for some more intense playing (I'm a big pinball fan from way back!) before I start on the review. I hope to have that done and ready for you in two weeks. The game should be available for sale around the first week of June, according to C-West's Peter Curry. I have a lot more to say this week, but this section is already bursting at the seams! It can wait until another week; I seriously doubt that there will be any major changes or updates before then anyway! Be sure to check out the JaguarCD survey further on in this section. We hope to hear from as many of you as possible. Until next time... ___________________________________ > Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's """"""""""""""""""""""""""" coming out. Current Available Titles ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp. J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $49.99 Atari Corp. J9005 Raiden $49.99 FABTEK, Inc/Atari Corp. J9001 Trevor McFur/ Crescent Galaxy $49.99 Atari Corp. J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95 Llamasoft/Atari Corp. J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari Corp. JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99 Rebellion/Atari Corp. J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari Corp. J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $59.99 Atari Corp. J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp. J9007 Checkered Flag $69.99 Atari Corp. J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp. J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp. Cannon Fodder $69.99 Computer West Syndicate $69.99 Ocean Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams Theme Park $69.99 Ocean Sensible Soccer Telegames Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp. Available Soon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER Pinball Fantasies $ 59.95 Computer West Jaguar CD-ROM $149.99 Atari Hardware and Peripherals ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER J8001 Jaguar (complete) $189.99 Atari Corp. J8001 Jaguar (no cart) $159.99 Atari Corp. J8904 Composite Cable $19.95 J8901 Controller/Joypad $24.95 Atari Corp. J8905 S-Video Cable $19.95 CatBox $69.95 ICD >Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -/- Mac Version of Doom II Set -/- A Macintosh version of Doom II: Hell on Earth, the popular PC combat-action game, is set for release. Originally developed by id Software, published and distributed by GT Interactive Software and ported to the Macintosh by Lion Entertainment Inc., the program is scheduled to reach stores in June. Shortly thereafter, a shareware version will be distributed via CompuServe and other online systems. "The PC version of Doom II has done phenomenally well at retail and we expect the Mac version to follow suit," says Allan Blum, vice president of marketing at New York-based GT Interactive Software. Doom II for Macintosh offers single-player and multi-player modes. The multi-player mode allows up to four players to join forces for cooperative play or go head-to-head in a "Deathmatch." Players can communicate with each other during combat by typing comments or sending preset messages like "Look out behind you," "Follow me," or "I've got you in my sight." Doom II for Macintosh will be available in CD-ROM and floppy disk versions. It will cost between $45 and $55. -/- 3DO Offers New Game Player -/- An upgraded 64-bit machine will be released later this year by interactive game producer 3DO Co. which says the unit will re-shape home entertainment. Reporting from Redwood City, California, United Press International quotes the company, which currently sells a 32-bit Multiplayer for $400, as saying the M2 format will enable the device to offer the same performance as computer workstations and arcade players. Adds the wire service, "The announcement comes more than a week before 3DO's rivals are expected to unveil demonstration models of 64-bit players. Sega Enterprises Ltd., Nintendo Co. and Sony Corp. have already announced plans to put the next-generation systems on store shelves by the end of the year." 3DO's new player, which uses a compact disk format, currently faces competition in Japan from 32-bit players by Sony and Sega. Atari Corp. sells a 64-bit Jaguar, "but," says UPI, "it is not considered a major contender because it offers relatively few titles." 3DO President/CEO Trip Hawkins said the M2 machine will offer far sharper graphics and much faster speed, adding, "It's a quantum leap for the industry in both graphics speed and quality. We're raising the bar again." Hugh Martin, 3DO's chief operating officer, said M2 will enable software developers to create titles that provide a whole new level of realism and experiences not previously available on advanced CD entertainment systems. ____________________________________ > Jaguar Developers STR InfoFile - Current Developer Lists & Titles """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Game Title Date Game Type MSRP Publisher ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Air Cars 2Q/95 Racing $59.99 Midnight Ent. Alien vs Predator NOW Role Play/Adventure $69.99 Atari Arena Football 2Q/95 Sports TBD V Reel Assault 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Midnight Ent. Barkley Basketball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Batman Forever 3Q/95 Action TBD Atari Battlemorph 2Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Battlesphere 3Q/95 Flying/Action TBD 4Play Battle Wheels 2Q/95 Racing/Combat TBD Beyond Games Blue Lightning (CD) 2Q/95 Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Brett Hull Hockey (CD) 2Q/95 Sports Atari Brutal Sports Football NOW Sports/Combat $69.99 Telegames Bubsy NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Cannon Fodder NOW Action/Adventure $69.99 Comp. West Casino Royale 2Q/95 Gambling Sim. TBD Telegames Checkered Flag NOW Racing $69.99 Atari Club Drive NOW Racing $59.99 Atari Creature Shock (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure/Sci-Fi TBD Atari/Virgin Cybermorph NOW Flying/Action $59.99 Atari Dactyl Joust 2Q/95 Action TBD Atari Defender 2000 (CD) 3Q/95 Flying/Action TBD Atari Demolition Man 2Q/95 Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Doom NOW Action/Combat $69.99 Atari Double Dragon V NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Williams Dragon:Bruce Lee Story NOW Combat $59.99 Atari Dragon Lair (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Ready Soft Dreadnought (CD) 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Dungeon Depths 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Midnight Ent. Evolution: Dino Dudes NOW Puzzle/Adventure $49.99 Atari FIFA Soccer --- Sports TBD Elec. Arts Fight For Life 2Q/95 Combat TBD Atari Flashback 2Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD US Gold Frank Thomas Baseball 1996 Sports TBD Atari Hardball Baseball 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Highlander (CD) 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Horrorscope 2Q/95 Combat TBD V Reel Hover Strike NOW Action/Combat $59.99 Atari Hover Hunter 2Q/95 Action/Combat TBD Hyper Image Iron Soldier NOW Action/Strategy $59.99 Atari Jack Nicklaus Golf(CD) 2Q/95 Sports TBD Atari Kasumi Ninja NOW Combat $69.99 Atari Mortal Kombat 3 1996 Combat TBD Williams NBA Jam TE 4Q/95 Sports TBD Williams Pinball Fantasies 2Q/95 Arcade $59.95 Comp. West Primal Rage 4Q/95 Action TBD TWI Rage Rally 2Q/95 Racing TBD Atari Raiden NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Rayman 2Q/95 Action/Adventure TBD UBI Soft Robinson Requiem 2Q/95 Adventure TBD Atari Ruiner 2Q/95 Arcade TBD Atari Sensible Soccer NOW Sports Telegames Soccer Kid 2Q/95 Sports TBD Ocean Space War 2000 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Star Raiders 2Q/95 Space Simulation TBD Atari Super Burnout 5/95 Sports TBD Atari Syndicate NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tempest 2000 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Theme Park NOW Simulation $69.99 Ocean Tiny Toon Adventures 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari Trevor McFur NOW Action/Adventure $49.99 Atari Troy Aikman NFL Ftball NOW Sports $69.99 Williams Ultimate Brain Games 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Telegames Ultra Vortex 2Q/95 Action/Adventure $69.99 Beyond Games Val D'Isere Skiing... NOW Sports $59.99 Atari Varuna's Forces 2Q/95 TBD Accent Media VidGrid (CD) 2Q/95 Puzzle TBD Atari White Men Can't Jump 2Q/95 Sports TBD TriMark Wolfenstein 3D NOW Combat/Action $59.99 Atari Zool2 NOW Action/Adventure $59.99 Atari [Editor's note: Titles, scheduled release dates, and prices are all subject to change] __________________________________ > Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr! """""""""""""""""""""""""" > JaguarCD Survey! - What Are YOUR Feelings Regarding the Purchase """""""""""""""" of the JaguarCD? Sb: #77732-Jaguar 2 Specs! Fm: Bob McCauley 73160,3542 To: Dana P. Jacobson 71051,3327 (X) >>Come up with the survey that you feel would work and _I'll_ make sure that it gets run in STReport! <<grin>> Dana, Thanks for the reply -- I will give it a start, maybe others could come in and add to the survey. Maybe something like If you are waiting to buy a Jag: a. Is the delay of the CD affecting your purchase decision: 1. If so, has it caused you to back out of buying a Jag? b. Is it a "don't care" -- I would buy or not buy a jag independent of the CD availability. c. If you are planning to buy a PSX, U64, etc... 1. Would availability of a Jag II (that leapfrogs the PSX) change your mind? a. if it were available in Sept? b. if it were available in Dec? c. if it were available in Jan 96? d. if it were available in April 96?? e. if it were available in Sept 96? (assume the PSX availability in Sept 95) d. Do you think that Atari management broke promises to you with all the delays? e. Do you think that Atari management made good faith effort in trying to solve their delay problems? f. Would it change your attitude if Atari had been more candid in providing more insight into problems that caused the delays? Bob [Editor's note: send all comments addressed to "dpj@delphi.com". __________________________________ > Dear GamePro! Reader Feedback! - Atari Responds to GamePro! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" April 20, 1995 Dear Editor GamePro Magazine P.O. Box 5828 San Mateo, CA 94402 Dear Editor, I am writing regarding the reader feedback feature of your May 1995 issue. In that issue were several inquiries from our growing family of 64-bit Jaguar gamers. I must say that your publication clearly appeals to sophisticated gamers. The letters you have printed are well thought out and they ask good questions. I also see why gamers rely on GamePro for frank responses from your experts. To a question posed by Mr. Matthew Stevenson of Sugarland, TX, regarding 3DO and Jaguar rentals, your reply was as follows: "...Blockbuster, the nation's largest rental chain, rents 3DO games in only 50 of its stores, and it doesn't rent Jaguar games at all. Some small, independent stores do rent Jag games; call Atari for dealer information...To reach Atari, write to Customer Service: Jaguar rentals..." Unfortunately your answer is not quite right. An accurate reply may have been... "...Blockbuster is one of the nation's largest rental chains. They have rented 3DO, Jaguar and CDI systems and software as a test in select stores. More recently, Blockbuster has cut back on games and have decided to focus on rentals and sales of cheaper 8-bit and 16-bit based systems and software. To accomplish this task, Blockbuster patrons have seen the clearance of hundreds of SNES, Nintendo, CDI, Sega, 3DO titles as well as a small number of Jaguar titles. "Although Blockbuster cannot facilitate their customers with the largest selection of Jaguar, 3DO or CDI rentals, thousands of independent stores and regional chains across the country can provide rentals for their patrons. Many mail order firms also buy back cartridges. Since these stores purchase product through independent suppliers, gamers should consult their yellow pages for stores that sell and rent video games in their area..." The May issue's reply to Mr. Stevenson states 3DO sells sampler CDs to interested customers. The article does not mention that sample animations, screen shots, reviews, previews, customer support, etc. are available 24-hours on the Internet, CompuServe, GEnie, Delphi and thousands of BBS systems for all systems. Jaguar support on GEnie or CompuServe, for instance, is as simple as typing "JAGUAR". In a letter submitted by Mr. Paul Schreur of Chico, CA, he states: "Does Atari have...live counselor(s) who has game tips...All the numbers listed in my Jaguar manuals have been disconnected..." The answer did not address the question in my opinion. My response might be: "We have called all the numbers found in a Jaguar manual and have determined they all are fully operational. If a 900 number is 'disconnected', it may be because your family has had 900 access removed from your service. Atari DOES offer live counselors to answer specific technical inquiries, however, game tips and longer strategy related assistance is not available on their toll-free phone line. For comprehensive strategy coverage, Atari recommends great publications such as GamePro, their 900-line service or becoming active in one of many Jaguar-specific support forums online. A tips book is also planned for release by Sandwich Islands Publishing within 90 days." I know as well as anyone that it is hard to answer all the mail that you must receive. I know that the answers to the questions that people ask must be sometimes difficult. In Atari's case I want to help be as accurate as possible when our gamers ask questions. To accomplish this, please feel free to call me on our toll-free line. If that is inconvenient, I'd be happy to share with GamePro my home number so questions can be answered while you are working late to put out your next issue. Regards, Donald A. Thomas, Jr. Director, Customer Service ____________________________________ > Atari/Jaguar Tour! - Reactions to the "Dog and Pony" Tour! """""""""""""""""" Comments courtesy of CompuServe's AtariGaming Forums: Sb: #Jaguar at Fedco. Fm: Geoff Antill 70740,263 To: All Well, I decided to see the latest and greatest for the Jaguar at the Fedco display in Buena Park, California. I'm going to try and be objective, so take this as you will. Greg Tramiel and Jeff Minter were there with a 19 inch monitor, a Jag development system, free tee-shirts and T2K Audio CD's. Oh yes, and many eeproms of up and coming titles as well. I like my new shirt and I listened to the excellent CD all the way home. My experience was positive, however if this was an attempt at Marketing by Atari, they failed. The area where the beast was displayed was rather small and somewhat isolated. As you stood there watching the Jag do it's thing, you couldn't help but notice the hugh Sonic-Kaotix sign behind the monitor. In fact one customer came up to Mr. Tramiel and asked him if any sega cartridges were on special. (I laughed rather loudly!) Anyway, on to the good stuff. Most of the 24 released titles were there on the counter along with 9 new eeproms. I played most of them, but several titles deserve more mention... Defender 2k. What can I say? Jeff Minter, you are my God. The original mode plays EXACT. Plus was just a wonderful sight. Lot's of action, lot's of beautiful graphics, and extreme speed. If I had only one complaint, it's that the ship is too big on the PLUS mode. In other words, way too easy to get hit. Jeff ran himself up to level 15, and I swear there must have been 50 ships on the screen at once. There wasn't any background music yet, but Jeff assured me that the same folks who did T2K were pumping out new magic. He promised originality, so don't look for another T2K soundtrack rehash. Oh yes, and I did see the flaming flossie. ( I only wish see spit out fur balls instead of lasers.) I did get a demo glimpse of D2K mode and it's just wondrous. I believe I detected 4 levels of parallax scrolling plus gazillions of objects. I just cannot believe how wonderful this game is going to be. Rayman. Excellent game. If this doesn't win game of the year by just about every game magazine, I'll be shocked. Beautiful, creative, extremely funny, challenging, did I mention beautiful? My only complaint is that it seemed a little slow. Ultra Vortex. I don't much care for fighting games, but if I had to choose from one, it would be this. This game beats anything in the arcade (including MK3) hands down. The graphics are stunning. Since I have an aversion to these games, I am a lousy judge of gameplay, however, I found the characters easy to control. Judging from the complaints I've read about KN, everyone will be happy. Rage Rally. Fun game, control sucked. If they could just improve the control, this game could really be fun. Conan. Neat game, but the backgrounds and characters looked 16-bit. The gameplay was fun. Only real complaint? Get rid of that absolutely annoying, hissy, sounds like it was digitized in a large room, music. The first thing I did was try and find a way to shut the horrid noise off. Tragically missing was the CD-ROM drive and all associated games. Too bad, cause I wanted to see blue-lightning, FFL, etc. Greg Tramiel did acknowledge that the CD-ROM release date would be made public during the E3 show. However, I'll still believe it when I see it. Kinda makes you wonder why they didn't have one at Fedco? Who knows. Sadly, my impression of Greg Tramiel, after asking a few somewhat pointed questions, is that the guy really doesn't know how bad Atari gets flamed through the online world. He didn't seem humbled by the fact that there is some serious competition coming down the pike. This has me somewhat worried. In fact, he was bragging about how Atari sold 30 million VCS 2600 systems in the 70's, One can only hope that in 5 years, he can be as bold about the Jaguar in the 90's. ________________________________________ Sb: Atari's Weekend Display Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 74777,3071 To: All From the Jaguar mailing list on the Internet, a first-hand report on some of Atari's retail promotional activities which occurred this weekend: ---------------------- Sent On: 29 Apr 95 23:11:22 Subject: Atari Display on saturday afternoon/evening From: "Juan M. Gonzalez" <ujmg88pf@mcl.ucsb.edu> 4-29-95 11am-3pm Toys R Us-Woodland Hills. CA Jeff Minter, Garry Tramiel and another guy (who personally said that he was a nobody) were in attendance for one of their displays of new Jag software. In addition to the games that are already released (and the ones I already reported on previously), we also saw the following: Konan- looked great, but it did need some tweaking with the controls. Only one level, but it was intense!!! Could be one of the best games out there if the rest of the game is as good as the first level. Flip Out- a puzzler with cool graphics, but didn't know what the hell was going on. Looked like something that can be placed as a bonus game with another bigger title.... Power Drive Rally - Pretty cool overhead driving game with minor details that makes it excel over other similar games. There are many different tracks to race in; snow, rain, desert, and your usual driving levels. There is a voice that tells you about the impending turns and it helps it as the controls get some getting used to. Pinball Fantasies- nice looking pinball game and best of all, we had the privilege of actually playing Defender, which had almost finished classic and plus levels, and with a 2000 that included placeholder graphics. Playing the original was a blast as it had the look and feel of the cool arcade version. The Plus game was also fun because there were many additions that reminds you of Tempest 2000, such as the backgrounds which looked hot. We were able to play with Floosie and saved llamas on the way and this should be an easter egg in the game when it's finished. According to Jeff, it should be finished and released around Aug-Sept. of this year. If you were a smart person, you prepay for this game RIGHT NOW!! It really is a kick *** version of defender, and who would not believe that Jeff Minter would not be able to successfully upgrade such a classic. Even after the fun times we had with Defender and just watching the Yak getting his *** kicked by his own game, we had a few things autographed when he had the time and will be a reminder for a pretty successful day for Atari as they had some people who were interested in the system. We had the following personalized and are enjoying them a lot: 2 Jaguars (signed on the top, one on the right and the other on the left) 1 complete T2K game (box, docs, and game autographed) 1 T2k cartridge 1 Atari Demo Video (11-14-94) 2 T2K Info sheets (nice looking sheets with specs and details on game) 1 Jaguar brochure 3 T2k soundtracks (which were free....so my bro, friend and I picked one up and got it autographed on the cover....i also got my own copy autograph, which I didn't get signed when I originally bought it) 3 Limited Edition 'Flossie-style' Jag T's. (The Yak was kind enough to draw a little design on our tshirts and we have the only ones ever made!! hahaha :0 ) Once we were finished at this location and said Goodbye to the guys, we then went on a mission looking for Hover Strike, which was sold out everywhere!! But our Atari tour was not finished.... 4-8pm Glendale Galleria- Electronic Boutique Stopped by for a few minutes....had the same stuff as i've seen before, but with one super gigantic surprise: FIGHT FOR LIFE- Now, as I said before with Hover Strike in my previous post, please disregard what the mags are saying and look at this game when possible. This game has evolved in a positive way...the graphics are definitely better than Sega's VF and the many problems with the control are either gone or almost gone. I played it once or twice and watched others play for about 10 minutes, and I honestly did not see any problems....and it's not even finished yet!!! Make sure to pick up the next issues of Next Gen and Game Players..they will get on their knees and kiss *** with retractions about reviewing such an early version of this game. I guess our emails did work! White Men can't jump- newer version from last weekends....had some improvements but it did still have some bugs that will be fixed.... according to the programmer, it has about a week or so of work left! :-) All in all, this was a WONDERFUL day for Atari.....not because of the many cool things we got personalized, but seeing the power of the Jag being shown to some people who are stuck playing some mediocre games. If anyone out there has any doubts about my comments, they can be repeated by my brother, who is a die hard Sega fan (who I converted into a Jag owner/fan) and who was super impressed with the games. Now, my next mission is to get his mind off that sorry Sega Saturn..wish me luck!!! :-) Any questions and comments should be forwarded to my account and i'll answer them to the best of my ability. Juan M Gonzalez ujmg88pf@mcl.ucsb.edu or mrbungle@eworld.com If you want to open a hole, just put your head down and go. Step beside the piece of circumstance, got to wash away the taste of evidence. Wash it away! *Evidence/Faith No More "KFADFFAL" (Album/Song of the year 1995) ___________________________________ CATnips... Jaguar Notes from Don Thomas """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Ready or not, here we come... Another sizzling weekend closer to E3 and another two teams are being unleashed from Atari HQ and turned loose in LA for in-store demos. For your enjoyment, I have attached the store visit schedule so you can drag your sister, brother, mom or dad, kids and friends out to see us play the world's only 64-bit gaming system. We will have freebies to give out (while they last) PLUS demos of exciting games available and COMING SOON to a Jaguar near you! On Thursday, May 4 (6pm), at the Babbages located at 2134 Glendale Galleria in Glendale come see Jeff "the YAK" Minter; the mastermind behind the smash hit, "Tempest 2000". Jeff will be signing autographs and previewing "Defender 2000". Jeff will be accompanied by Ms. Kristine Chambers, Product Manager at Atari Corporation. Kristine will also be providing demos of popular Jaguar game titles PLUS giving away great Jaguar stuff! Also on Thursday (5pm to 8pm), at the Fedco located at 570 South Mt. Vernon in San Bernardino, come see Tal Funke-Bilu. Tal is one of Atari's super testers, has been known as a contributor for Atari Explorer Online Magazine and was the producer of last year's AEO CES video recap. Tal will be happy to sign autographs, but he tells me he cannot wait to show Southern California some of the many upcoming Jaguar games. "I cannot wait to show Southern California some of the many upcoming Jaguar games," states Tal. Tal will be accompanied by Don Thomas who will hide under the table and amaze people with stupid finger puppet tricks. On Friday (6pm-9pm), see Jeff and Kristine at the Babbages located at 1200 West Covina Parkway in West Covina. OR catch Tal and Don (6pm -9pm) in Anaheim at the Good Guys located at 3021 West Lincoln Avenue. On Saturday, set side some time to see Jeff and Kristine (11am-3pm) at Toys R Us located at 10391 Magnolia Avenue in Riverside. Afterwards, rush to Signal Hill to see Tal and Don (11am-3pm) at Toys R Us located at 2701 Cherry Hill Avenue. Later on Saturday, stop by to see Jeff and Kristine (4pm-7pm) at the Electronics Boutique located at 1715 Montebello Town Center Drive in Montebello. If it's more convenient, see Tal and Don (4pm-7pm) in Marina Del Rey at Tower Records located at 13450 Maxella Avenue. But wait!, There's more! On Sunday, see Jeff and Kristine (12pm-3pm) at Fedco located at 3111 East Colorado in Pasadena. Tal and Don (12pm-3pm) will be at the Wherehouse in Santa Monica located at 391 Santa Monica. I hope the onliners will help spread the word and come see us while we dog and pony our way around in the Los Angeles area. _______________________________________ > Fight For Life Update! - Reactions to FFL Pre-release Reviews """""""""""""""""""""" Sb: #FFL NEWS READ!!! Fm: Danny Miskin 74067,53 To: all Hi All, I'm here once again to bring you some of the latest on this game, and I assure you that most people will not like the news however some may. First off, Francois was VERY disappointed with what happened with the two magazines that "reviewed" the game mainly because he met with those magazines and they KNEW that the game and the version they had was not the finished one which Francois stated himself in his last post here. Actually what he told me was that those two reviews killed him. :( What also happened is Atari took those reviews, and many other things VERY SERIOUSLY and Francois is now reworking many things and working on the gameplay some more which is of course going to push the release date back to June now. So since we never really knew what the final vers of FFL was going to be like and neither did those two mags we now have to wait an extra month or so for Francois to work some more on the game before it enters production and hopefully this unfortunate situation may turn out to be a blessing. <g> I do hope NOBODY will complain about how long the game was in development when it's finished and also hope nobody complains about it between now and it's release because it's still been a very short development time compared to many other original games on the system and it would really kill Francois to see messages like that now when he'll be working like crazy to get the game finished and into production so all of us Jaguar owner can sit down and enjoy a good fighter. Well cya you all later, Danny Sb: #MORE FFL NEWS!!! Fm: Danny Miskin 74067,53 To: all Hi once again, Well I just got through talking to Francois for 20 minutes and learned some new stuff about the game, all good. <g> 1) "Ian" is 80% texture mapped. 2) The FPS is 22 at this point. 3) The average amount of texture mapping for all the characters is 60% and should keep going up. 4) The background are not going to be changed although one stage did get some texture mapping added to it and Francois says it looks very nice. 5) The AI by Francois standards is difficult (hope it will be by mine as well<G>). now here comes some information that may start a little thing again. They've had a problem with the game for a while and they've just recently been able to fix it and none of you would be able to guess what it is.<G> The problem, the characters "backsides" looked weird. <G> So to fix this problem they're adding more texture mapping to the characters rear ends starting with Jenny (you all remember her she's the one whose "breasts" are made up of 18 polygons<G> and she may also end up only have a "little" swimsuit to wear in the final version). And one more thing some people may like. Right now there's blood in the game that flies DEPENDING on where you hit your opponent although since Francois does not really like to see blood in this kind of a game it may change to sweat but I suggested a little code so the blood could been in the final version and he did say it looks nice too so I hope he keeps it in with at least a code. We did talk about some other stuff as well but I forgot about most of it unfortunately so for now this is all but if I remember anything I'll post it, cya later. Danny __________________________________ > Heretic On the Jaguar? """""""""""""""""""""" Sb: Jag Heretic Fm: SYSOP*Jeff Kovach 74777,3071 To: All From rec.games.video.atari, word that Heretic might yet make it to the Jaguar: ------------- Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari From: legrand@tesla.mbi.ucla.edu (Scott Le Grand) Subject: Jag Heretic Date: 25 Apr 1995 00:34:10 GMT No, it's not in development for the jag yet, B U T.... I was talking with Jay Patten at the jag demo at The Wherehouse yesterday and I asked him how well Doom sold. He said it was one of their better selling titles (big surprise), and I said "ID is really milking the cash cow with Doom II and the additional wads they're going to release, why not jump on the bandwagon and make JagDoom II or Heretic or even a wad CD." According to Jay Patton... The developers of Heretic are licensed as jaguar developers... They have licensed the rights to the Doom engine, apparently even the jaguar edition... Heretic is not yet being ported, but he implied that the wheels may be turning for this to happen... IMO: Perhaps some people on here might want to use some polite email to indicate that there is indeed some interest in this product... I know I'd buy Heretic if they fixed the networking... Scott@4Play > Hover Strike! - More Reviews/Comments! """"""""""""" Sb: #Hover Strike Review Fm: Larry Tipton 74127,601 To: All Hover Strike - A brief review/overview by Larry Tipton First things first! Before you play Hover Strike, READ THE MANUAL. It was crystal clear that EGM did not read the manual. Now, on to the review! Before each mission, you are presented with appropriate details about the mission, number of targets that you must take out, including a cool rotating texture-mapped image of the primary target(s). You can select any mission from the current level. Ice, water, desert, volcanic, night, etc. You have to beat all of the current level missions before advancing to the next level. There are a total of 30 missions. Basically, each scenario is a search a destroy targets kind of mission. At least the 8 that I have completed on "easy" have been. Thus far, each have been quite varied. They are tough, especially the night missions. The structures, walls, etc. are quite cool-looking... even up close. Some of the land objects, like lava, look a bit pixelated up close, but that's to be expected. As you start each mission, a military transport drops you and your hovertank off into the thick of things, right from the start. Tip #1: Press and hold button C as you land. Otherwise, you might find you and your hovertank out of control from the start. Be prepared to get pummeled!!! You'll get hit from both the air and the ground. Tip #2: If you are new to Hover Strike, blow up the stuff around you and practice getting the control aspects of the Hovertank down. I'm having a blast hovering in one direction and shooting in another, then tap-tap on button B and off I go in the direction that I was shooting. Of course this brings me to Tip #3: Watch where you are going! Don't crash into steep hills. Some you can climb, others you cant. Speaking of hills, these, like the rest of the game is texture-mapped. Sometimes you have to navigate around structures or mountains, winding your may through. Tip #4:Try the external view to get through tight spots. Weapons! You want weapons? Weapons include: -Photon Cannon -Missiles -Guided Missiles -Mortars, you can control the distance by moving the crosshair up and down. You also have Flares, but these are not weapons. They help with night missions. Tip #5 So will photon cannon blasts! Be prepared...the enemy is relentless. There's a bunch of em. They are all 100% texture-mapped and look downright mean. They'll also get right in your face! Heres the list: -Heavy Armored Tank -Land Crawler Tank, four times as strong as the Heavy Armored Tank -"Mad Dog" M.T. Walker, the walkers head can separate for the body and attack! -Gun Turret, these are a major pain. take em out first. -Trap-Door Gun Turret: These pop-up up out of the ground. Boom, you're dead. Hard to hit. -Land Mine, hard to see. I guess thats what makes a land mine a good land mine. They do show up on radar. -Magnetic Mine, they'll follow you anywhere. Dispense with them at once. -Durian T-5 Jet, Easy kill :), watch out though, it might ram you. -Dredging Floater, these guys will steal your power-ups. Blast em. They remind my of the Empire probes that were sent to the ice planet in the Empire Strikes Back. -Cloaking Floater, only become visible when they attach, cannot be seen on radar (Romulan technology?) -Patrol Floater, simple-minded seek and destroy enemy with twin photons. -Surveillance Floater, fast droid that will report your position to the enemy. Blast em. -Dreadnought Floater, Heavily armored, tough to beat. The Targets are also 100% texture-mapped. Some of the Enemy Targets include: -Nuclear Generator -Fuel Tank -Processing Station, oh my, this does not sound like a good place at all. -Radar Dish -Convoys -There are more... Hover Strike Features: Save Game - Yes (one) 2 Player Option - Yes (coop-mode) Difficulty Settings - Yes, Three Missions - 30 In-Game Music - Yes Network - No :( Overlay - Yes, (one, looks cool) Tip #6: I found that on one of my TVs that some of the land t-maps were a bit on the bright/loud side. I adjusted the color to suit my tastes, then it looked right on! My normal Jag TV looked great (S-Video). Here is my overall game rating on a scale from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest. Graphics 9 Control 8 (9 with practice) Sound 9 Music 7 (Not varied enough) Play Value 9 (coop mode gets a 10!) Overall 8.5 Frame Rate? It seems is better than AvsP but not as good as Iron Soldier. It feels about right. Do I like this game. Yes indeed! Is it for everyone? No. This game is challenging. If you are a tank sim, flight sim, mech sim, etc. fan you should really have a blast playing Hover Strike. Play it with a friend! That's all for now. -LT Out! ______________________________________ > ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""" PEOPLE... ARE TALKING ===================== On CompuServe ------------- compiled by Joe Mirando CIS ID: 73637,2262 Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Busy, busy, busy! That's what I've been this week. With all of the stuff that's available every week here on CompuServe, I haven't even had time to pack for my visit to Washington DC... and I leave tomorrow morning, bright and early (none to bright and all too early). So let's get right to all the hints, tips, news, and info available every week right here on CompuServe... From the Atari Computing Forums =============================== Neil Newman asks: "Does anyone know who handles a scanner program called 'GTlook' which allows an Epson GT6500 scanner to be used with an Atari Computer?" Carl Barron tells Neil: "Toad, lists GT_LOOK II software in their Catalog. page 18. ($269USD) RE: Systems Solutions. No internet or other online service listed, on their literature I have. It does list prices it at 149 pound sterling without powrprint, with powerprint at 259 pound sterling." Yat Siu tells Neil: "In the UK it would be now Systems Solutions, in the U.S.A. it would be Lexicor Software, it is a product from Digital Arts, Germany." Christopher Miles asks for help: "Can anyone in this forum help with a print problem I have with (don't laugh please) TIMEWORKS PUBLISHER TWO. I am using a Hewlett Packard Deskjet 520 and I cant get it to print the full page, I know that the printer has a 1.5 cm area at the bottom of the page on which I can't print, but I cannot get it to print the last 3 cm, which is just too much margin, and in landscape a 3 cm left margin is ridiculous. My system is, Atari 1040 STE, 120 meg Hard Drive ICD link SM125 monitor. Timeworks V.2 GDOS 1.1 Also attached MIcrolin fx Modem, Alfa Data Scanner, & external Floppy drive. All ACC's Dissabled, And plenty of room on the hard drive! Also Does anyone know of a Printer who prints Postcript files for me as this might be an answer to my problem. Must be in UK." Greg Kopchak at It's All Relative Software tells Chris: "Flip the perf skip DIP switch on the 520 and all will be well. See your printer manual on how to do it." Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells Chris: "If you want to print PostScript files you can download GhostScript v2.6.1 from the library. It allows one to print PS files on non-PS printers." James Chiba posts: "I'm new to this forum, and would like some advice on how to set up my ST for telecommunications (hardware, software etc.) at a reasonable price. Nothing spectacular, just enough to get the job done while I'm away at university. What are you all using?" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells James: "Just your ST, modem & modem/serial cable and some telecommuncations software. There is some in the library (PD & Shareware) and some commercial ones like STalker and Flash II." Sysop Bob Retelle tells James: "You can use just about any standard *external* modem with your ST, and it will work with a standard "DB-25" style modem cable. As Albert mentioned, we have some telecommunications programs available here in Library #4 that you could take a look at to get you started, and there are some excellent commercially available programs to consider too. By the way, welcome to the Atari Forums..!" James tells Bob: "Thanks for the advice, and the welcome! I hope to have many productive sessions here. It's good to know there are people here to help, because I have a feeling you may be seeing more of my questions in the future." Jason Saffer tells us: "I ran into a new problem on my Mega 4 which has an external hard drive. I had just connected an external Syquest to do a full backup so I did some cable switching. But I do believe I put things back to the way they were originally. I also changed the ICDBOOT.sys file on the C drive, updating it to version 6.0.5, which is the latest I have on a floppy. Now, I've got the following symptom: within a minute or so after booting up, as I move the cursor, it freezes up, the screen freezes up and I have no choice but to reboot. The freeze occurs again and again. I don't have access to the computer for more than a minute. Anybody have any idea of what's going on? Or what I should be doing in order to test what's amiss? I'd appreciate the help!" Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine tells jason: "The latest version of ICD software is 6.5.5. You can probably download it from he (GO ATARIVEN) forum library (the ICD section)." Frank Heller tells Albert and Jason: "ICDBOOT (v6.5.5) is not available in the ICD library. Call ICD about their pgrade policy... I don't know if this will help...but here goes anyway: I use an external 1.2gig D with my Falcon...and was initially driven insane trying to get it to work ecause I had set the external HD to SCSI ID# 1...with the internal drive set o ID#0. This was with ICDBOOT 6.5.5. Apparently the internal drive (an IDE ype) and the external (a SCSI type) both had to be set to ID# 0. Then it all orked. I don't know if this is the case for your situation...but I'd thougt 'd mention it anyway." Mike Myers tells us: "It's been a marvelous time lately, because something or other was corrupting iles. I think it's gone but it corrupted my GDOS driver, and I tried FontGdos, but my machine didn't like it. When decompressed, it wouldn't work. Where can I get a copy of GDOS? I searched the library, and couldn't find anything that looked right." Carl Barron tells Mike: "Off of most original disks of commercial gdos applications. Compo will sell you a new speedogdos 5.0c. GDos is copywritten dri/atari/compo and is a commercial product. Always has been. Only fontgdos was ever distributed for free to the general public." Mike tells Carl: "I have a feeling that my ability to read, write English has betrayed me into pride. When my computer tries to load GDOS, it offers a quick dialog during the bootup "Driver Corrupted. GDOS not loaded". What is the driver? I have thought, in my self confidence, GDOS.PRG was the driver. You may puncture my ego if necessary, explain to me where to get a 'driver'." Carl tells Mike: "OK then GDOS.PRG IN THE AUTO FOLDER LOADS correct! It should be in the auto folder for to be properly loaded in the boot sequence. Do you see something like GDOS Version 1.03 loaded during bootup on the VT52 screen. If this is a GEM dialog/alert, it is not would not work in the auto folder, so I guess your program is attempting to do some thing and it is getting an error code, that the function or device does not exist. [Foo.sys, is corrupt or non-existant] or GDOS.PRG was not in BOOT_DRIVE:\AUTO. To me a driver is the device specific code/tables in a file like fx80.sys. Seems like the driver does not exist or is in the wrong place or is a corrupted file You do have an original/copy of original disks to restore the drivers and gdos. Another possibility is the development of a bad sector in one of these files. So rename then copy gdos.prg and the assoiciated drivers, from the master disk to your system. Hopefully the originals are not corrupt. Put gdos.prg in the auto fldr. and the *.sys files where assign.sys says they are." Robert Aries tells us: "Today I broke a small lead on my MMU chip (trying to re-seat it into my EARCO memory upgrade board). My computer is an old 520st, TOS in rom, with a video modulator (I've upgraded to TOS 2.06, using the Codehead TEC board). I have ANOTHER 520st lying around, and was considering cannibalizing (sp?) the MMU chip from that one. However, it's an even _older_ computer than mine (it has TOS in ROM but no video modulator). The MMU chips on each computer are different. Mine has these markings: C025912-38 JH23-019 511 67 The one on the other, older computer looks like this: C025912-20 (c)ATARI CORP 1985 3H-2119-CC Something is telling me to NOT use the older MMU chip in my computer. Does anyone know for sure, though, whether I'm right about this or not? I'm not gonna try it until I know for a fact that it won't screw anything up. If the older chip is not usable, can someone tell me where to get another one? I figure one those mail-order places like Toad's, or perhaps even Atari themselves? Any phone #'s wuld be appreciated." Sysop Bob Retelle tells Rob: "I'd go ahead and use the older MMU... the Atari part number (the number starting with C0..) is the same between them... the suffixes (the -20 and -38) are "date codes" showing when the chip was made. As you'd expect, the older chip has a lower number. If you'd rather not disable the older ST, you can probably buy a new MMU chip from Best Electronics. I thought I had their phone number right here, but now I can't find it... hopefully someone else here can come up with it..!" Rob tells Bob: "Just to cloud things up a little, I spoke to a tech at Toad. He told me that the older chip was electrically "weaker" and may not funtion properly. Of course Toad sells the MMU with the -38 extention, but it's $70!! Jeez, I could just buy another ST CPU for less than that!! At this point I'm not sure what to do. If you or others tell me that what the Toad tech said is suspect, I may just go ahead and switch MMUs; but if I could find a source that sold them at a more reasonable price, I might feel better putting in a brand new, "stronger" <g> chip!" Sysop Bob tells Rob: "I wouldn't worry about "weak" chips.. it either works or it doesn't. In any case, trying the old chip isn't going to hurt anything, and if it doesn't work you can still sprin for the new one..." So Rob tries it and tells Bob: "I put the old chip in. It seems to work, except that my monitor is displaying white, fluctuating "streaks" across some of the scan lins. You see them especially if the background is black. I'm going to assume that this is a symptom of the "weak" MMU chip, however I can't rule out the possibility that I may have damaged something with all the chip inserting/extracting I've been doing. Would the MMU affect the video display??" Sysop Bob asks Rob: "Are the streaks you're seeing vertical or horizontal..? From your description of the symptoms it sounds like they're probably horizontal RF interference lines... I don't think the MMU would cause that kind of symptom by itself.. is the metal RF shield still off the computer? That might contribute to interference on the monitor. The MMU *would* be a suspect in vertical height, equally spaced lines all the way across the screen, but that would also probably be coupled with programs crashing or not running properly." Rob tells Bob: "[The streaks are] Horizontal. The metal shield has been off the computer for years (won't fit with my EARCO ram upgrade _and_ TEC board!). I've never seen this streaking until now. Something rang a bell, and I got out my old manual for Spectrum 512. Right at the beginning, it says: "Spectrum 512 will not work properly with the earlier MMU chips. If your screen display consists of streaks of colors, you have such a chip" Of course I don't see any colors on my mono monitor, but it sure sounds like what's going on here. Anyway, other than the streaks, the computer does seem to be working OK. No crashes or other weirdnesses (yet)." Lee at Lexicor tells Rob: "I have a supply of MMU chips, if you call me and we are sure the ones I have are the correct replacement, You can have it for the asking....no charge. My pleasure to be of some help!" Baird Banner posts: "I've got a syquest drive on the SCSI port on my TT. The ADHI program will only recognize device ID 0 for installation of a logical drive and will only diplay C: as a logical drive for creation of a bootable drive. This, however,creates a conflict with a midi interface I've got connected to the cartridge port,which also serves as a copy-protect. I can format, partition, etc..from the HDX program and it recognizes as many logical drives as I create.Why won't the ADHI program act the same? Is it because I'm not using an internal drive and only using SCSI? The manual is hopelessly vague about SCSI and it was by luck that I stumbled upon the fact that the system recognizes the cartridge port as drive C:" Frank Heller tells Baird: "I think (and somebody correct me if I'm wrong) that the cartridge is represented by a lower case "c" while the C drive is represented by an upper case "C". Does this help any?" Andreas Rosenberg tells Baird: "HDX must 'talk' to drives on a different level, he talks only with SCSI devices (not with drive letters). So HDX won't care about any existing drive C:. But AHDI must offer you a drive letter to access the contents of your drive. Because booting is only possible from drives A: or C: AHDI creates a drive C: that overrides your cartridge drive C:. There is hardly a simple solution for your problem if none of the affected components is flexible enough to use a different drive letter. One might patch AHDI to use D: as first drive letter or patch the MIDI cartridge to use a different drive letter but success is not guaranteed." William Triffet tells us that he... "...just bought a 1040ST ($40 bucks, such a deal). The only problem is that its not recognising either the internal or my old external (from my 520) floppy drives. The desktop comes up on boot up with the message," Drive A not responding ...". Same with the external drive B. I'm going to try reinserting the board chips to see if that helps (the seller said it was sitting for 3 years). If that doesn't remedy the problem, what are my next options? Is there parts I can use from my 520 to replace with the 1040? Also, is there a way to boot off my hard disk with out using a floppy or do all ST's use a boot disk? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I use the 520 strictly for midi recording with Hybrid Arts Smpte Trak ( 9 years old and still works fabulous for the midi studio). Any other Smpte Trak users out there?" Sysop Bob Retelle tells William: "Reseating the chips may help.. that's a long time to have been sitting there.. If that doesn't help, things get a bit more difficult. Depending on whether the floppy controller chip is socketed or not, you could try swapping it out with the older 520, same with the sound chip (which controls the motor line on the floppy drives). Unfortunately, at least in my 520ST, those chips are soldered in place, so it would be difficult to remove them safely, especially with no real confidence that they would fix the problem. It sounds like the ST is seeing the drives are attached. If there are no drives present, the desktop will come up with no icons and no messages about drives not responding. Thus it sounds like the ST sees the drives, but they don't answer when it tries to talk to them. Also, no.. an ST does not need a boot floppy, and can boot up from a hard drive by itself. Unfortunately though, a floppy drive IS needed to set up the hard drive autoboot driver. You might be able to move a working hard drive from your 520 to the 1040 though, or set up a new hard drive on the 520 first, then just unplug the floppy drives. That wouldn't be a very "elegant" solution, but at least it might get you up and running..." Well folks, that's about it for this time around. Tune in again next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to what they are saying when... PEOPLE ARE TALKING """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" A true "Sign of the Times" """"""""""""""""" A GRANDCHILD'S GUIDE TO USING GRANDPA'S COMPUTER (ode to Dr. Seuss) Here's an easy game to play. Here's an easy thing to say. If a packet hits a pocket on a socket on a port, And the bus is interrupted as a very last resort, And the address of the memory makes your floppy disk abort, Then the socket packet pocket has an error to report! If your cursor finds a menu item followed by a dash, And the double-clicking icon puts your window in the trash, And your data is corrupted cause the index doesn't hash, Then your situation's hopeless, and your system's gonna crash. You can't say this? What a shame, sir! We'll find you another game, sir. If the label on the cable on the table at your house, Says the network is connected to the button on your mouse, But your packets want to tunnel on another protocol, That's repeatedly rejected by the printer down the hall, And your screen is all distorted by the side effects of gauss, So your icons in the window are as wavy as a souse, Then you may as well reboot and go out with a bang, 'Cause as sure as I'm a poet, the sucker's gonna hang! When the copy of your floppy's getting sloppy on the disk, And the microcode instructions cause unnecessary risc, Then you have to flash your memory and you'll want to RAM your ROM. Quickly turn off your computer and be sure to tell your mom! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International OnLine Magazine -* [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport *- AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE ON OVER 70,000 PRIVATE BBS SYSTEMS """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR OnLine! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" May 05, 1995 Since 1987 copyright 1995 All Rights Reserved No.1117 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""