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*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" from STR Publishing Inc. """""""""""""""""" August 30, 1991 No.7.35 ========================================================================== STReport International Online Magazine Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205 ~ 6672 R.F. Mariano Publisher - Editor ----------------------------------------- Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EST BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST DUAL STANDARD FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST ----------------------------------------- STR East: FNET 350 - The Bounty ST BBS <Home of STR> 1-904-786-4176 STR West: FNET 075 - Bloom County BBS 1-415-965-9347 STR Canada: FNET 018 - ///Turbo Board Support 1-416-274-1225 STR Europe: FNET 1031 - <<<INTERNET>>> 011-44-296-395-935 __________________________________________________________________ > 08/30/91: STReport #7.35 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - CPU REPORT - 68040 for 1992? - MNP5 & v.42bis - Mind Edit! - NEW PRODUCTS!!! - Resident Midi! - TRACKER/ST NEWS! - LYNX PACKET! -* DUSSELDORF EYEWITNESS REPORTS! (2) *- -* US ATARI SHOW UPDATES! *- -* DELPHI DUSSELDORF CO *- ========================================================================== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE The _Number One_ Online Magazine -* FEATURING *- "UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Hot Tips, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's support BBS, NODE 350, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the Fido/F-Net Mail Network. Or, call Node 350 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information relative to the Atari ST computer arena through an excellent International ST Mail Network. All registered F-NET - Crossnet SysOps are welcome to join the STReport Crossnet Conference. The Crossnet Conference Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All systems are welcome and invited to actively participate. Support Atari Computers; Join Today! ========================================================================== AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON: GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ F-NET ========================================================================== > The Editor's Podium This week's issue is devoted primarily to the "really big show" (how many remember Ed Sullivan?) that just took place in Europe. The Atarimes- se, Dusseldorf, Germany. Since the coverage of the Dusseldorf show took up the best part of the issue, we decided to make this a show special. You will find show updates for all the major upcoming shows in the USA too. In addition, new product information has been compiled and presented for your reading pleasure and info. Atari has some very interesting plans for the immediate future, STReport is compiling the information for these outlines and more for our next few issues. The times are changing and Atari is, (thankfully), responding to many of these far reaching changes. Hope everyone has a safe and most enjoyable Labor Day Weekend. Thanks a bunch for all your great support!! Ralph...... TODAY'S NEWS ..TODAY! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > STReport's Staff The regulars and this week's contributors! ================ Publisher - Editor ------------------ Ralph F. Mariano PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION ----------- -------------- ------------ Robert Retelle Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON STReport Staff Editors: ----------------------- Michael Arthur Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Walter Daniel John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Contributing Correspondents: ---------------------------- Michael Lee Richard Covert Roger Stevens Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Ed Krimen Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Ben Hamilton IMPORTANT NOTICE ================ Please, submit letters to the editor, articles, reviews, etc... via E-Mail to: Compuserve.................... 70007,4454 GEnie......................... ST.REPORT Delphi........................ RMARIANO BIX........................... RMARIANO FIDONET....................... 112/35 FNET.......................... NODE 350 NEST.......................... 90:19/350.0 "REPORTING ABOUT ATARI NOT FOR THEM." *********************************************************************** COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; ST REPORT 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! THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" *********************************************************************** > CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS ================= Issue #35 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. -- UNIVERSITY OF OREGON SETTLES EUGENE, OREGON SOFTWARE SUIT -------------- The University of Oregon has announced that it will pay $130,000 to set- tle a lawsuit in which several computer software companies alleged that university employees violated software copyrights. Specifically the suit alleged that employees at a university micro- computer training laboratory made unauthorized copies of programs and training manuals. The companies involved are Aldus, Ashton-Tate, Lotus, Microsoft, Claris and WordPerfect. The suit was filed on behalf of the software publishers by the Software Publishers Association, and is reportedly the first such suit against a public university. Several major software companies, as well as the association itself, have taken a strong public stand on the issue of piracy and copyright violation, and have vowed to pursue violators in the courts. In addition to the monetary payment, the University of Oregon also agreed to organize and host a national conference on copyright law and software use. The state also agreed to conduct an education campaign on those topics for faculty, staff and computer students. -- DRIVE MAKER PRAIRIETEK CALLS LONGMONT, COLORADO IT QUITS ------------------ PrairieTek Corporation, the company that pioneered the 2.5-inch disk drive, has closed its doors. With the exception of a skeleton staff who will work with creditors, the firm's 300 employees are out of work. PrairieTek was founded in 1986, and a year later introduced the first 2.5-inch disk drive, designed for use in laptop and portable computers. The small drive was seen as revolutionary, providing more power in less space and with less weight. -- MOTOROLA SHIPS SINGLE TEMPE, ARIZONA BOARD COMPUTERS -------------- Motorola has announced shipment of two single board computers which the company says provide significant technical breakthroughs for the VME industry by incorporating the components of an entire high-performance computer on a single VME module. The new units are based on Motorola's M88000 reduced instruction set computer (RISC) and MC68040 complex instruction set computer (CISC) microprocessors. Potential markets include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators, and end users of VMEbus architecture. -- SOFTWARE FOR KIDS ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA FOCUS OF NEW NEWSLETTER --------------------- Out of frustration caused by his inability to find software for his kids, Stewart Walton is introducing "Educational Software Review, The Parent's Guide to Computers," beginning in September of this year. The eight-page newsletter will contain no advertising, but instead focuses on reviews and articles geared toward parents of children of all ages, but especially school-age children using computers at home. Walton, a computer engineer and consultant said he searched and could find very little on children's software and nothing on things like, "how to protect your hard disk from your seven- year-old." That's when "Educational Software Review" was born. Initial response has been tremendous. "Parents know exactly what I'm talking about when I describe it in one sentence," said Walton. The newsletter is designed for fast consumption, so parents can look it over to see what is of interest to them or their kids in less than 5 minutes, and read that material in less than half an hour. Each month it will rotate the focus on one of four academic subject areas in this order, Language Arts, Math, Social Studies and Science. The first issue's focus on Language Arts will concentrate on creative writing, the second issue plans to zoom in on counting, arithmetic, and algebra, and so on. Walton says software for every grade level will be reviewed so parents will always find something appropriate for their children. The articles are planned to focus on specific issues of a child using a computer, such as what a minimum system should be, why kids like certain programs and not others, how to set up a hard disk, and where to buy software. The newsletter will be distributed by subscription only at a price of $42.50 for one year (12 issues). Charter subscriptions are being offered at the reduced rate of $33.75. Walton said he has a simple guarantee -- just cancel and get a full refund. Subscriptions can be secured toll- free at 800/972-3535, or by writing Educational Software Review, P.O. Box 1004, Encinitas, California 92023. -- TANDY INCOME DROPS DRASTICALLY FORT WORTH, TEXAS ----------------- Tandy Corporation's financial status for the 1991 fiscal year, which ended June 30, 1991, was down from 1990. The company says net income was only $206 million, or $2.58 per share. The previous year showed net income of $290.3 million, or $3.54 per share. Tandy showed sales and operating revenues for fiscal 1991 as $4.562 billion, compared to $4.499 billion for the previous year. -- DELL COMPUTER INCOME UP 94% AUSTIN, TEXAS ------------- Dell Computer Corporation has reported that its net income for the sec- ond quarter of 1991, which ended August 4th, is up a whopping 94%. Dell says it had net income of $12.4 million for the quarter, up from $6.4 million for the same period last year. The income was realized on sales of $200 million for the quarter, which is up a respectable 64% over 1991's figure of $121.8 million. --New for the PC.... Unicorn MIDI Mixer Software For PCs Mark of the Unicorn has introduced new MS-DOS software for the MIDI Mixer 7 which adds IBM-compatible software to the existing Macintosh and Atari control software for the MIDI hardware. On screen the software created an image of a standard mixer which helps traditional users make the transition from hardware controls to computer MIDI control systems. Automated mixdowns are possible by locking scene changes to standard SMPTE time codes. MIDI Mixer 7s has seven stereo inputs with bass, treble, pan, and two stereo effects for each channel, along with a stereo auxiliary input and eight stereo noise gates. Any MS-DOS system with VGA or EGA video, a Microsoft or Logitech com- patible mouse, and an installed MIDI interface can run the software. MIDI Mixer 7 has a list price of $595 and is available now. MIDI or musical instrument digital interface is the world standard for connecting digital recording and control systems to instruments. For further information contact Mark of the Unicorn, Inc., 222 Third St., Cambridge, MA 01242, phone 617-576-2760. Current owners of MIDI Mixer 7 software for Macintosh or Atari systems should contact the company for a free upgrade. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= As a reader of STReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. For only $29.95 ($20 off the standard membership price!), you will receive a lifetime subscrip- tion to DELPHI, a copy of the 500-page DELPHI: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE and over $14 worth of free time. NOTE: Special offers can be found in your favorite Atari magazines: START CURRENT NOTES ST INFORMER ATARI INTERFACE MAGAZINE SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN -- DELPHI -------------- 1. Dial 617-576-0862 with any terminal or PC and modem (at 2400 bps, dial 576-2981). 2. At the Username prompt, type JOINDELPHI. 3. At the Password prompt enter STREPORT. For more information call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 or at 617-491-3393 from within Massachusetts or from outside the U.S. DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT -------------------- The 20/20 Advantage Plan IS FANTASTIC! And it features 20 hours online for just $20 a month! The $20 is a monthly fee that covers your first 20 hours online via direct dial into one of DELPHI's two direct-access lines, or via a special Tymnet 20/20 Access code. It also gets you additional hours at just $1.20 per hour. And you get free access to several services on DELPHI as part of the Advantage Perks. Other telecom services may have additional charges. Canadian Tymnet users have an additional telecom charge. Office Time access (7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays) may have an additional charge. And of course, other restric- tions may apply. But this is still an amazing deal! IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= As a reader of STReport International Online Magazine, you are entitled to take advantage of a special DELPHI membership offer. DELPHI has waived the sign-up fee! For a limited time, you can join the World's Premier Online Service for FREE! Members can access DELPHI worldwide through hundreds of local access lines. For more information please contact: DELPHI at 1-800-544-4005 and ask for Member Services. DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > Delphi Online STR FOCUS DUSSELDORF ONLINE CONFERENCE ======================= Transcript of DELPHI's ST Advantage weekly conference of Tuesday, Aug- ust 27, 1991. DA Brumleve, of DA Brumleve Software, and Paul Wu, of Omni Peripherals/Wuztek, were special guests, giving a wrap-up of the AtariMesse in Duesseldorf, Germany. They had both returned from Germany that day. RMORROW> How's Germany? (You're there, right?) DABRUMLEVE> No, I'm BACK! RMORROW> Did ya see the 'Book? DABRUMLEVE> Yes, in fact, Atari US in the person of Bob Brodie and Tracy Hall -- -- who is a major developer of the Book -- brought one by to each of the US developer's booths...Otherwise, we might not have seen it, as the crowds around the display model were tremendous most of the time. NORM-B> How was the attendance? DABRUMLEVE> Norm, it's really hard to say...I have heard no official figures, but even when they have official figures, you have to understand that the totals refer to attendance at TWO unrelated shows. RMORROW> I should think so! I have my sights on one. No need for a backlit display. Dot, maybe you should try STalker/STeno for conferencing? DABRUMLEVE> My type-ahead gives me five lines on other services, but not this one, Bob. JDBARNES> Dorothy, what is the "second show"? DABRUMLEVE> It was a sports/outdoor living show called "aktiv leben". You buy one ticket, and you can go to both shows, which of course some did. .Dave> I got mail from Oliver Steinmeier yesterday; he said attendance was noticeably lower than last year's JDBARNES> I see, so the fair grounds had two events going at the same time. DABRUMLEVE> But most people went to one or the other. I'd guess (ballpark) 20-30K attended the AtariMesse. I wasn't at last year's, so can't compare. The aisles were wider, I'm told. JDBARNES> The adavnce publicity said "20,000 square meters"; that's about 4 acres. Did that seem about right to you? DABRUMLEVE> Yes, JD, it sure does. JDBARNES> That is about equivalent to 4 football fields. DABRUMLEVE> It was like Comdex, but on a smaller scale, like a 20th of Comdex maybe. .Dave> Oliver said even Jim Allen was all alone at times! That gave him plenty of time to grill Jim :) DABRUMLEVE> Well, Jim was working from his distributor's booth. Most had plenty to do. .Dave> Oliver got to talk with Small and Allen; another month before we see the real accelerators, in the States, of course. JDBARNES> Now, about how many developers were there altogether in the Atari Event? .Paul @ OPI> The developer's party was packed. I think there must be at least 100 people at the party. DABRUMLEVE> Gee, I don't know, John, but I've got a book that lists them all. .Dave> How many US devs were there? DABRUMLEVE> 100? Gee, I'd sure say a lot more. .Gordie> Okay, consider this formalized folks. If you have a question, signify with a ?, and I'll call on you in order. DABRUMLEVE> Let's see...Dave Small, DC, Jim Allen, George Geczy of JMGSOFT... ...Paul and me, Gribnif... CodeHead...and some portfolio guys. .Paul @ OPI> Many people couldn't attend because they didn't get enough tickets for everyone. However, ALL the US developers were there. DABRUMLEVE> Oh, Paul is answering as to who was at the party. I'm answering as to who was at the show. Add ICD to my list. .Gordie> Okay, Dana... .Dana> OK... It's a two-parter... What was your overall opinion of the show, and what, if anything, is on the horizon for us with regard to new and exciting products? GA Either Paul or Dot <<grin>> .Paul @ OPI> The show was definitly larger than I had expected it. As far as new product goes, many graphics cards were shown and lots of DTP and CAD softwares. ga. .Dana> Dot? DABRUMLEVE> I was impressed that there's a trade-show aspect to it, distributors meeting devs, dealers meeting distributors, etc., from all over the world, literally! There were users, there were sales, but my own greatest advantage in being there came from these industry contacts. And it was HUGE. Not gymnasium-size at all. GA .Paul @ OPI> If I might add, this was the most professionally done show I have seen for a show like this. .Gordie> Bob Morrow, you had one... RMORROW> Dana already asked my question :( ga .Gordie> JD... JDBARNES> What prospects do US products have in this market? Are people interested in them or are they set in their ways with regard to the things they already know? DABRUMLEVE> It all depends, JD; they have a lot of software over there, and when our duplicates it, I doubt there's much chance for a US competitor. But often ours is quite different. People seemed most interested in our booths. JDBARNES> Paul? GA .Paul @ OPI> Dorothy has some very unique products. For us, it was a matter of who has the best implementation of the particular hardware. We have a better product and people recognize it. The Germans have an advantage though, since they have one less level of distribution to go through. .Lena.> Anything on the new computers? DABRUMLEVE> The Book is absolutely cool, Lena. Fits in my new little briefcase with much, much room to spare. And works! 5 hours on a charge, and charges in the case. .Lena.> Are they going to releasze anytime soon. Or are they being closed mouthed on that one? DABRUMLEVE> I believe I heard the announcement that the Book would ship in Sept in Germany. But I heard it in German... ;-) .Gordie> Would you say the US devs came back with a little more of an optimism about the ST market, or what? .Paul @ OPI> I certainly feel alot better after being there. DABRUMLEVE> You mean, the ST market in general? .Gordie> Yeah, and their place in it. .Lena.> Well, did anyone mention the possibility of selling retail in the States of hardware or software, and what kind of charges might there be? (If I went I think I would have asked...) DABRUMLEVE> No, not that I saw, but we would get hardware from the factory, not from Germany. BAJOHNSON> What about the "optimism" question? GA DABRUMLEVE> As to Gordie's question...I went into newstands again and again and ALWAYS found at least 2 ST-specific mags for sale. BAJOHNSON> In German, I trust. <g> DABRUMLEVE> There are 4 from Germany and another German-lang. mag from Austria, and they are out there and being purchased. One store was sold out of 3 mags. .Paul @ OPI> Many German firms are interested in a US distributor or partner. You can find 1040STes in all department stores, too. DABRUMLEVE> Yes, but I don't think it would be true to say the ST _leads_, but it is visible. It is known, it is respected. The regular press covered the show. The Frankfurter Allgemeine had a feature article on it this morning. That's like the New York Times here. .Gordie> But, Dorothy, would you say the US developers have some hope, now, or was it just an interesting vacation? DABRUMLEVE> I certainly have hope of expanding my market, and not just to Germany... but to Denmark, Holland, Norway, Sweden...and, amazingly, the UK! .Paul @ OPI> For us, the trip to Germany meant the possibility to at least quadruple in our sales overall. And that is a conservative estimate. .Gordie> That'd make me optimistic. JD... JDBARNES> Good Luck, Paul on quadrupling your sales. As regards the European hardware, I find it horribly overpriced and unsupported by software. How does that stack up against your impressions? I also often sense that it lacks polish. .Paul @ OPI> The Germans are more tolerant than the US counterpart. The cost of manufacturing is also much higher over there.. DABRUMLEVE> The press is no less critical there, though, when a product doesn't meet its promise. JDBARNES> Well, the market on other platforms here demands perfection. What software did you bring home, Dorthy? GA. DABRUMLEVE> Well, I got the famous Mortimer utility. Haven't tried it out, but it's very popular there. .Paul @ OPI> We picked up two programs for possible distribution. a PCB design program and Easy Base from Omikron. Mortimer is very nice, Dorothy. DABRUMLEVE> A lot of the same kind of exchange that occurs at Comdex goes on there. .Gordie> Dana... .Dana> OK, let me ask this question and then skedaddle! What was your impression of Atari Germany with their regard to their users compared to the US counterparts? .Gordie> Good question, Dana. .Dana> Thanks! .Paul @ OPI> I don't really know how to comment on that one. I think Atari Germany has it much easier than Atari US. .Dana> How so? .Paul @ OPI> The ST is respected in Germany so the users do not complain as much. :) .Gordie> AP... .Gordie> By the way, Dorothy was about to fall asleep, so I think she's gone for the evening. ATARIPOWER7> Thank you, Gordie. Now for the question... In the U.S., I almost get the impression that Germany and much of Europe are somehow smarter or whatever than the average U.S. ST user. What do they know and think of the situation in the U.S.? .Paul @ OPI> They don't really understand how small the US Atari market compared to theirs as we didn't know how big the European market until I went there. ATARIPOWER7> I knew the European market was big... I suppose I could ask, do they know that in the US that the ST is practically derided by the general Computing community at large? .Paul @ OPI> Sorry, I didn't understand that question. .Gordie> Paul, I think he was trying to get a feel for whether the German ST users realize how bad the US situation is. ATARIPOWER7> Well, again, do Atarians in Germany think something must be wrong with computer users in general in the United States, since we basically frown on a fine computer like the Atari ST? .Paul @ OPI> I don't think users in Germany know how bad the US market US market is. ATARIPOWER7> I promise not to tell, and for my part, respect the folks in Europe on general for their smarts. JDBARNES> Paul, what do you think the distribution of machines is among the various markets? The estimates I have heard give the US about 100,000 vs 800,000 in Germany. .Paul @ OPI> The PCs have the majority of the market. Followed by Amigas for games, and Atari for general computing. Apple is making real progress with their low cost computers. JDBARNES> In other words the "serious" machines are just getting established in the German market. Does that mean the end of the line for Atari? .Paul @ OPI> Many people are waiting for Atari to make their move. I heard that the TTs haven't been moving at all. .Gordie> Make their move in Germany? Or here in North America? .Paul @ OPI> In Germany, of course. People in Germany don't really care what happens in North America. .Gordie> Gerry, you had one... GERRYMON> Paul, did Atari show anything else new besides the ST Book? For example, did they show a new TT030 with 1.44 meg floppies? .Paul @ OPI> If they did, I didn't get to see it. They promise that they are working on a 040 machine though. GERRYMON> A 68040 based TT? That sounds good. Did they show any new software such as FSM-GDOS? Is FSMGDOS out already? .Paul @ OPI> I don't know about FSM-GDOS but I couldn't find KAOS at the show. GERRYMON> Last question. Have you seen any signs of increase production from Atari? .Paul @ OPI> Increase production? Atari just sold their Taiwan factory and is now sub-contracting all their work so supply shouldn't be a problem. I don't know about demand though. .Gordie> Norm... NORMW> Just wanted to mention that Paul has a new catalog he wants to send to all here. Leave me your address in DELPHI mail if you want one. .Paul @ OPI> It will include a special issue for the Dusseldorf show. Of the newsletter, that is. NORMW> Paul _and_ NORMW will be at Glendale! .Gordie> AP7... ATARIPOWER7> Thank you, was any mention made of the deal Atari was supposed to be working out with the Russians, something to do with memory chips for barter for equipment, presumably ST's?... .Paul @ OPI> I heard about that but not while I was in Germany. .Gordie> JD... JDBARNES> For those who can't get to Glendale, Paul and Dorothy are going to be at WAACE in October. Paul, is there any truth to the rumor that Atari is going to move its management to Russia? It would make them appear more competent. .Paul @ OPI> :) .Gordie> Paul, do you have anything else about the AtariMesse that you'd like to talk about? If not... Tell us about Norm's video board! .Paul @ OPI> It was a good show overall and I think Atari will be around for a while.. *** At this point the formal portion of the CO was ended. *** JDBARNES> Yeah, more on the video board! .Paul @ OPI> Yes, the video board.. Well, we have given it a name now... and it is called the OmniChrome and it will come in three configurations. Level I will offer the user 640x200x256 colors out of a 16.7 million color pallet on a standard Atari SC1224 monitor. Level II will give you 640x400x256 colors and Level III at 800x600x256 colors. ATARIPOWER7> Prices!! JDBARNES> Delivery Date!!! Supported software? .Gordie> Paul, will I be able to use it with my STe and an Omnimon Rainbow? NORMW> Less than $1 million, more than $100....<hee hee> GERRYMON> How do you install these video boards? Mega Slot? VME? Or something else? .Paul @ OPI> It is tenatively set at $299, $399, and $499. It looks like we will be able to ship before Chirstmas and it will have a VDI driver. ATARIPOWER7> Do you plan to finance? :) .Gordie> hehehe ATARIPOWER7> Will it work with Lexicor's stuff... .Paul @ OPI> We have not tested Lexicor's software but it will be one of the first ones to be tested. .Paul @ OPI> Gordie, Omnimon Rainbow works with an STe. .Gordie> I know that, but with the OmniChrome? .Paul @ OPI> STe will not be supported at the current configuration. .Gordie> Arrrggghhhh. .Paul @ OPI> We will start to work on the STe version after we ship the current version. .Gordie> Well, as long as it doesn't take as long as the STe adaptor for the accelerator boards. <grin> .Bob@K.C.> Gordie ... ------ R.S.N. !!! .Gordie> HAHAHA JDBARNES> Could somebody translate what the "VDI" driver means as far as existing applications are concerned? NORMW> JD, we use VDI compatible color planes, but can't be sure yet what that will portend. GERRYMON> Can you upgrade between levels? .Paul @ OPI> Gerrymon, it is upgradable between levels GERRYMON> These boards sound excellent! And the price sounds right too! JDBARNES> Where does it install? .Paul @ OPI> The OmniChrome is an internal board and it plugs into the shifter socket. GERRYMON> If it comes with a VDI driver, then a lot of software should work on it. JDBARNES> Very clever, Paul, about the shifter thingy. JDBARNES> Paul, is there an official description of this and will you be demoing prototypes at the shows? .Paul @ OPI> I will send a printed description to whomever is interested. Just send address via email to Norm. (NORMW) We will be showing this at the WAACE show for sure. We are working on the Glendale show. GERRYMON> Is the shifter socketed or soldered in the Mega ST4? .Gordie> Gerry, it should be socketed. ATARIPOWER7> Yeah, socketed. .Paul @ OPI> All Shifter chips are socketed. GERRYMON> Wow, then it should be relatively easy to install! .Gordie> How about Chicago, Paul? That's the one I can afford to go to. GERRYMON> Does the board come with it's own video ram? NORMW> Yes. .Paul @ OPI> Level I comes with 128K of VRAM. Level II and III uses 1MB of fast VRAM. NORMW> That's 128K BYTES of Vram ATARIPOWER7> I will want more. .Paul @ OPI> $$$$$ GERRYMON> Do you plug the old shifter on the board to maintain compatibility? NORMW> Gerry, yes again! .Paul @ OPI> Gerrymon, that's correct. GERRYMON> Does the BLiTTER have access to the Vram on the board? NORMW> No. .Paul @ OPI> Yes, in a way. GERRYMON> Huh? .Gordie> Oh, a developer/designer conflict. Goodie. NORMW> OK. Paul, you wanna fight?? .Paul @ OPI> Your answer, please, Norm. ATARIPOWER7> Yankee ingenuity at work, what MIRACLES are made of!!!!! NORMW> It is hard to explain, Gerry, without giving the competition all our secrets!! ATARIPOWER7> We won't tell! .Gordie> Especially if you don't tell us... GERRYMON> Your board uses an interleaved bit-plane, doesn't it? NORMW> Thanks a heap, AP :)) .Bob@K.C.> snicker! .Paul @ OPI> One thing is for sure. Your Atari thinks it is accessing normal video memory. ATARIPOWER7> Yeah, You're welcome!!! NORMW> The color planes are exactly GEM style. GERRYMON> The BLiTTER was specifically designed to handle this. .Gordie> But will we be able to look at all those neat GIF pics that are out there? .Paul @ OPI> You'll be able to access TIFF, GIF, PICT, or what ever. .Gordie> That would open up a whole new realm of cross-platform compatibility. NORMW> Pizza Man delivers!! .Paul @ OPI> All it takes is a proper translation software which we are already working on. .Gordie> Isn't that what it's all about, Norm? NORMW> Speaking of food, and insulin shots...I must go. You give great conference, Gordie. .Gordie> Gee, thanks, Norm. I think. .Gordie> Now, will the ST be able to use the OmniChrome in MS-DOS emulation mode? .Paul @ OPI> Gordie, it depends on if the PC emulator software writes to screen memory directly. .Gordie> But it's reasonable to expect at least one of them to work with it, right? .Paul @ OPI> It is reasonable to assume that if a software uses standard BIOS calls or VDI calls, it will be compatible with OC. Okay, any more questions? .Gordie> Paul, you mentioned before that you had good products and fared quite well against the German products you saw. How about with the OmniChrome? Was there anything in Duesseldorf that looked as good as yours? .Paul @ OPI> There are at least 6 or 7 different graphics card at the show. All but one are designed for high end graphics (ie. 1Kx1K+) .Gordie> Sounds like you might have a niche to yourself, then. .Paul @ OPI> The only product similar to ours is called the ODIN and it is more expansive and less capable. One thing I forgot to mention about the Dusseldorf show is that Ataris are actually used to drive industrial machines (ie. Robots, drills...etc.) .Gordie> Now that could be of interest to some Industrial Engineers I know. .Bob@K.C.> Paul .. sounds great! I am always glad to hear our "game-machine" doing other things! .Gordie> By the way, just how high does the resolution on my Rainbow go? .Paul @ OPI> 1024x768 interlaced or 800x600 non-interlaced. .Gordie> Entirely sufficient for OC and beyond! Kinda makes sense, though, doesn't it... <grin> .Paul @ OPI> The concept of OC can be extended to infinite resolution but then high-rez = high-cost. *** At this point, line noise knocked Paul Wu offline, thereby *** effectively ending the second portion of the CO. _____________________________________________________________ > Dusseldorf Report STR SHOW NEWS =============================== EYEWITNESS REPORT FROM DUSSELDORF ================================= Compiled by Michael Lee From Dorothy Brumleve, Category 11, Topic 12, Message 1 - From the from the ST Roundtable on Genie... My trip to the AtariMesse in Dusseldorf Up and down major thoroughfares in Dusseldorf, banners and posters announced the commencement of the fifth annual AtariMesse at the city's exhibition complex, an amazingly extensive facility with fifteen exhi- bition halls, restaurants, snack bars in each hall, entertainment faci- lities, etc. I saw billboards at the airport and on kiosks out in the community as well. Every cab driver knew about the AtariMesse. The AtariMesse is not at all what we North Americans think of when we hear "AtariFest"; in fact, it's much closer to the image conjured up by the word "Comdex". Two huge halls were filled with vendors. The show brochure lists 184 vendors by name, but there were also "specialty booths", huge displays in which vendors in related areas were grouped together, and the vendors in these booths sometimes were not given separate mention on the main vendor list. The specialty themes for such grouped booths this year focussed on the Portfolio, Atari and Music, Atari and Computer Graphics, Atari in Education and Science, and Games. A basic small booth provided 12 square meters of space. While the Germans regarded such booths as too small, the North American exhibitors enjoyed that kind of space for the first time -- and some of us had trouble filling it. Most of the vendors opted for larger booths, some outfitted with private consultation rooms. Atari's own central stand included a large room for press conferences and a welcome center for the press. Of course, there was also a lecture hall devoted to demonstra- tions and workshops. It seemed odd to me that there would be a _need_ for consultation rooms, but this show has another feature in common with Comdex besides its sheer scale; it provides a meeting place for distributors, developers, dealers, and Atari personnel from throughout the world. There was cer- tainly plenty for the casual or serious Atari enthusiast to see, do, and buy, but another focus of the show was on opportunities for professional industry contacts. Many North American vendors already have representation in Germany. Jim Allen of FastTech and Rick Flashman of Gribnif showed their products from the booths of their German distributors, for example. This year, Atari US facilitated the participation of North American vendors who have not already established distribution in Germany. A row of booths was provided to US developers. ST developers participating included D.A. Brumleve (yours truly), CodeHead, Double-Click, JMG Software, and Wuztek Omnimon Peripherals. One of the more impressive booths was that of 3K ComputerBild, the German distributors of WordFlair. GoldLeaf representatives John Fox and Lauren Flanegan-Sellers were assisting users in that booth. The booth had a huge black wall; on one side of the wall were alcoves with demons- tration computers manned by experts who could provide hand-holding as users experimented with their high- end offerings. On the other side of the wall, an actor presented lectures several times a day in both German and English to an appreciative audience. One booth specialized in Atari-related paraphenalia on a grand scale. Various articles of clothing, elegant backpacks, etc. were available with the Atari logo. PD booths and dealer booths seemed to do a bang-up business; although the aisles were wide, it was often hard to get through in these areas. I saw an industrial ST etching circuit boards. There were more utilities and applications related to high-end MIDI and DTP than you could shake a stick at. There were many booths with spe- cialized hardware, such as for overscan, color high-rez, and the like. There were relatively few offerings for the games-player. You'll notice I can't report terribly much on products shown at the show. As a vendor, I was responsible for manning my booth most of the time, and had only a little time available for browsing on my way to and from the snack bar or the bathroom. I hope that others who had more time to devote to show-going can contribute more detailed information on new products. Because we were virtually chained to our booths, most of us would not have had the chance to fight the crowds and have some hands-on exper- ience with the ST Book (five production models were on display). On Saturday morning, Atari's Bob Brodie, Bill Rehbock, and Tracy Hall brought both the Book and the Stylus around to the US devs for a per- sonal view. I must say it's an incredibly neat little machine. I under- stand that it will run off its internal rechargeable battery for over 5 hours, certainly enough for most users. The battery recharges in place. The look is elegant, the keyboard size is perfect for hands the size of mine (it's just a bit more compressed than the regular ST keyboard), the mouse-replacement is ingenious, the size is tiny! I was impressed with the ergonomic design and the obvious thought devoted to users' needs. Bob Brodie also escorted the major ST-specific magazine editors and reporters to the booths of US-based developers. Germany has four major glossy ST magazines: TOS, ST Computer, ST Magazin, and AtariJournal (formerly PD Journal). There is also a German-language Atari magazine from Austria called XEST. I had a chance to visit several newsstands while in Duesseldorf. Every stand had at least two ST-specific magazines to offer; when I questioned the proprietor of one shop, he said he carried all four magazines from Germany, but had sold out of the September issue of two of them already. PC and Amiga magazines were also in evidence, and sometimes the number of PC offerings exceeded the ST offerings. A few times I spotted magazines devoted to the Mac. In addition to the ST-specific magazines, ST products are also covered by the general computer press. Even with the knowledge that there was good press support for the ST in Germany, I was very surprised to find a reporter for the Frankfurter Allgemeine dropping by my booth. I read his show wrap-up on the airplane on the way home; nearly a quarter page of the newspaper was devoted to this final show report, and the focus of the article was innovative DTP products. For the uninitiated, the Frankfurter Allgemeine has the same kind of respect and influence in Germany that the New York Times has here. The support is there from publishing houses as well. While the computer sections of our bookstores are filled with books about living with MS- DOS and mastering Windows, German STers have a multitude of books to choose from. Some are basic beginner books of the same variety as Ralph Turner's series, and there are primers for getting the most out of general-use programs such as 1st Word Plus. But there are also a variety of books for the high-end musician or desktop publisher, for the pro- grammer, for the hardware hacker. Many of these could be found at department store bookstores, and, indeed, the same stores are likely to offer STs in their electronics department. If you'll remember the debate in the US over whether children should use calculators, you'll better understand the current German controversy over computers in schools. There is a large segment of the population which views computers as anti-creative and inappropriate for schools; fortunately, most educators do not share this point of view. There has been a major effort in the past year to put the ST into German schools. One academic organization has declared the ST _the_ best choice for schools and software support has begun to emerge. While most emphasis is being placed on software for junior-high-level students and older, there are efforts to use STs with young children, and I am hopeful that my products will be well-received by paedagogues and the early childhood and primary-level academic community. At my booth, I met teachers from Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Denmark, who were all most eager to use my products in their classrooms. My products are currently available only in English, German, and Icelandic, but I was able to make contacts at the show which should ultimately result in translations to Dutch/Flemish, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish as well. I made it a point to visit (briefly) the Education and Science specialty display. In one booth, I found my own philosophy of computer use with children prominently displayed on the wall. I immediately sought out the booth's representative for a lengthy discussion. It is really wonderful to know that there are like-minded folks halfway around the world. On the personal side, it was a terrific trip! My husband, left at home to see our five children off to their first day at school, was abso- lutely furious, but I didn't let that stop me from having a great time. I spent an hour of madness and confusion as Dave and Sandy Small and Dave Troy and I tried desperately to locate my hotel; nothing like getting lost to start off a fun evening. The CodeHeads are always good for an interesting evening, and as their booth was next to mine, we were also able to make evening chit-chat extend into the next day. I met for the first time a Dutch friend with whom I've corresponded for some time, and he helped me out in my booth sporadically. My Australian distri- butor, Phil Reeves, was there, as was Michelle from Atari Australia. In fact, representatives from Atari Italy, Norway, Sweden, Holland, and of course Germany came by my booth. A few of my customers from Germany dropped by as well. I spent an evening with GEnie online personality MIKE.SCHUETZ, who with some friends has started a software company in Germany. We ate at the first good Greek restaurant I've ever been to. Tom Harker of ICD, Nathan Potechin of ISD, the gang from Atari US...all of these contributed to my enjoyment of the trip, socially and professionally. The tv set in my hotel room provided the German view of goings-on in the USSR. And Star Trek in translation seems new all over again. Meeting the "public" is always interesting, but it becomes even more interesting when you don't know which language to use when first addres- sing another. An American and I carried on a five-minute conversation in German before it occurred to us that we might communicate more effec- tively in English. I tried English on Germans, German on Dutchmen, Dutch on Britons, Norwegian on Americans, all with about the same effective- ness and lack of grace. Fortunately, I am strongest in the two languages nearly everyone understood, but I found that my German skills varied greatly from hour to hour. I could nearly always understand what was asked, but couldn't always formulate a comprehensible reply. It seems my German was most effective with cab drivers and waiters, and not so effective with professional contacts. If I go next year, and even if I don't, I think a refresher conversation course would be in order, with an emphasis on vocabulary related to computers, software, distribution, and business. In the US, I've often heard the German ST market pooh-poohed (God, did I say "pooh-poohed"?) by the cynics. Is Germany _really_ Atari Heaven? At the AtariMesse, I heard a few Germans and Dutchmen say they thought Atari was "slipping". I even met a fellow who had switched to the IBM a year ago and was now unhappy he had. His six children spent an hour at my booth, all the while asking him if "der neue Computer" had any "wunderbare Programme" like mine. I also met people who were extremely enthused about the Messe and, especially, the DTP-related products shown. I can't make comparisons with last year. I wasn't there. I didn't see evidence that the ST is the #1 computer in Germany, but I saw plenty of evidence that it is a respected line with a sizeable market share. And that, to me, _is_ Atari Heaven. The AtariMesse is, indeed, the mother of all road trips. *********************************************************************** :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ To sign up for GEnie service: 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 costs only $4.95 a month for unlimited evening and weekend access to more than 100 services including electronic mail, online encyclopedia, shopping, news, entertainment, single-player games, and bulletin boards on leisure and professional subjects. With many other services, including the biggest collection of files to download and the best online games, for only $6 per hour. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE! Any time during your first month of membership if you are not completely satisfied, just ask for your $4.95 back. GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > The Flip Side STR Feature "...a different viewpoint.." ========================= A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT ================================== by Michael Lee Are you confused about the new modem protocols? Don't feel like you're alone, so are many others. Here's some posts that might help clear up some of the confusion. Some compiled replies from Jim Ness - from the ST Roundtable on Genie - (The following is compiled from 5-10 different posts and two different Categories, so if it seems a little disorganized, it's my fault.) If the modem is indeed MNP5 only, and not v.42bis, then it is not the fastest thing around. But, still fine for most of your uses. It will work here on GEnie and on CIS. It won't give you 14400. Depending on what you are connected to, if it runs across an uncompressed text file, it will compress it as it sends it, resulting in as much as a 2:1 throughput. But, you will very rarely be transferring an uncompressed text file. When trans- ferring a .ARC or .LZH file, it can actually slow down the xfer. MNP 2 through 4 are error correcting protocols. When they sense an error, just like zmodem, they resend the data. So, in some cases, they are SLOWER than non-EC modems. MNP 5 is error correcting with compression. Same problem. In the process of error correction, MNP will collect a packet full of data, then send it on to the other modem. When the data is flowing quickly, this is not noticeable. When the data itself is coming in spurts, ala xmodem downloads, the data spurt and the modem spurt sometimes combine to slow down a download. For instance, an MNP modem hates to send just a few bytes. It wants to error correct a larger packet. In an example xmodem download, GEnie sends me a packet, and I send an ACK byte back. MNP doesn't want to give GEnie just that one byte, it wants to give GEnie a packet. So, it waits awhile. Finally, it gives up and feeds GEnie the byte. In the meantime, GEnie has been holding the next packet, not willing to send it until it receives the ACK. The download has been slowed down by 1/5 second or so. Now do it 800 times, for a 100k download. The only way an error correcting modem can speed up an xfer is if it uses data compression. And none of the on-line services do that yet, only some BBSes. If you hardly ever experience noise problems, you don't have need for an error correcting modem. MNP5 and v.42bis are competing methods. The v.42bis is usually con- sidered to be superior. It compresses text files better, and is able to recognize already compressed data, and not waste effort trying to compress it again. A v.42bis modem can do up to 4:1 on a text file, and turns off comp- ression when it recognizes something that is already compressed. Even though it is superior, if the destination you are connecting with (GEnie, for instance) does not support v.42bis, it is good to have a modem that can "fall back" to other methods. MNP5 or MNP4 or whatever. GEnie supports MNP4 at all speeds (error correction, but no comp- ression). CIS supports MNP4 at speeds up to 2400, and v.42bis at 9600. Delphi can support MNP4 if you dial through Tymnet. Networks have a problem supporting MNP5 and/or v.42bis, because inc- reasing throughput via data compression puts additional demands on their hardware. If, for instance, they try to pump data to you at 2- times 9600bps, it takes more resources than pumping at a straight 9600. So, most commercial networks draw the line at MNP4. CIS is the excep- tion, but only at first glance. You can get a v.42bis connection, but the data flow is still restricted to a non-compressed rate. I receive messages there at just under 900 chars per second. And file xfers go at just over 900. 960 would be the theoretical uncompressed maximum. On GEnie the data flows slightly slower, but still fast. If you use Aladin, you are limited to about 600cps. But Aladin is the limita- tion, not GEnie. If I were to guess, I would say that GEnie sends text at about 740-760cps. None of the online services currently takes advantage of data comp- ression in modems. With no data compression, there is no increase in speed. At 2400, GEnie and CIS use MNP4 error correction. ---------------- From Rich Bruns - Category 9, Topic 47, Message 70 - from the ST Round- table on Genie... I called SSI two days ago (I've called every month since December) to find out about STORM ACROSS EUROPE for the ST and they told be the project was cancelled. "A problem with the compiler", they said. They have been assuring me month after month that it would be comming out the following month. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE???!!!!! I called Avalon Hill they promised Third Reich by the end of Sept. Any news on any other wargames coming down the pipe? How about SSG's Warlord???? ---------------- Do you own a TT and have problems with the internal drive? Do you own a Mega and GCR combo and have problems with the internal drive when you're in the GCR mode? Here's some posts that _might_ help you. From Jim Allen (Fast Tech) - Category 28, Topic 19, posts 1, 4 & 8 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... There is also a problem with floppies on the [TT] internal drive. This was a lot like the internal Mega drive problem. I found that by adding a second 7406 driver chip on top of the original chip... piggyback...that the TT would not have trouble with the floppy anymore. I cured lots of Megas using this fix. The 7406 is just that, not "LS" or "HC", etc. Just a 7406. It is the driver that sends all the info to the floppy drive. Boosting output by using two of them helps improve the S/N ratio. At least it worked for me, before adding it, Mega no format Mac disks, after adding it Mega now formats Mac disks. Same circuit on the STEs and TT too. ...there is a monitor-vs-floppy conflict reported by some people, try moving the monitor away from the floppy, off to the side, first. It's always possible that this little change could help, I just don't know. Since the chip costs $.25, try it, it can't hurt anything. Your mileage may vary, the fixes might or might not work for YOUR TT, but they have worked for mine...at least my borrowed TT ;-) Response from one satisfied user - from Lloyd Pulley - from the ST Round table on Genie... Jim, I want to thank you for the information, it works like a charm!!! A friend of mine just bought a used MegaST4 that would not handle the internal floppy drive when it was in 'Mac mode' (i.e., with his GCR). I told him about your 'fix' and he had Henry (Computer Works) install it for him this morning. He just called me 'pleased as punch', he can now read/write/format Mac disks again!!! ---------------- According to sources at Atari, some of the earliest Mega STe's might have had TOS 2.02 installed, but the models currently being shipped contain TOS 2.05. Any program that works on a 1040STe that has TOS 1.06 or 1.62 installed should also work with TOS 2.02 or TOS 2.05. ---------------- Sometimes it's confusing for TT owners to know how to setup their pro- grams, whether to run in TT Ram, ST Ram, etc. According to sources at Atari, there are two bits in the program header that tell GEMDOS where to load a program in the TT's memory and how to allocate that memory for useage. The two bits are the 'Run in TT Ram' flag and the 'Use TT Ram' flag. If the 'Run in TT Ram' flag is set, then GEM will try to load the program into TT Ram, assuming there is enough TT Ram available. If the 'Run in TT Ram' flag is not set, or if there is not enough TT Ram available, then GEM will attempt to run the program in ST Ram. Some programs, depending on several different factors, will not run in TT Ram and have to have the 'Run in TT Ram' flag NOT set before they'll run properly. If the 'Use TT Ram' flag is set and the program does a Malloc() call (i.e., needs additional memory once it's loaded), GEM will attempt to allocate that memory from TT Ram (i.e., Fast Ram) if it's available. If the 'Use TT Ram' flag is not set, or if there is not enough TT Ram available, then GEM will attempt to allocate memory from ST Ram. Some of the things that will not work if the 'Use TT Ram' flag is set are, if a program tries to directly access the ACSI DMA port to drive the laser printer or a hard disk, DMA stereo sound, or the video systems screen memory. This does not mean that they can't run with the 'Run from TT Ram' flag set. Basically, if a program doesn't seem to work properly on your TT, try changing this two bits/flags in the program's header. ---------------- About the Chicago ST Show - From Bob Brodie (Director of Communications for Atari) - Category 11, Topic 10, Message 113 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Not to worry about this show coming off! The contract has been signed, and Atari has committed to bring this show to the users! We are very excited to have this opportunity to present to the North American users all of Atari's latest and greatest technology! The timing of this show, fully 30 days AFTER Comdex, and the weekend before Thanksgiving, puts us at a perfect place in time to be able to share any new products that might be shown at COMDEX right before the beginning of the Christmas buying rush! I am very excited about the prospects of the show, and look forward to a fabulous experience in Chicago! ---------------- A hint for you Calamus owners from Michael Gater (Gater Graphics) - Category 16, Topic 9, Message 111 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... I don't know if this has been mentioned before, so I thought I would post it for the benefit of those who may not already know: It is often desired to emphasize some text such as a title, word or phrase. To achieve this it is necessary to load an italic font or a bold font and restyle the title, word, or phrase. For many, loading another font to achieve a bold effect for one word might seem like a waste of memory, and could add to the number of fonts sent to a service bureau for professional output. THERE IS A WAY TO GET BOLD TEXT OUT OF A MEDIUM FONT. Say you had a nice public domain font, but either didn't have a cor- responding bold font, or didn't want to use it for lack of memory or to cut down on a modem bill to the nearest service bureau. Here's what you can do instead: 1) Check the type you want to make bold with the magnifying glass. This will insure that all of the text settings match the surrounding text. 2) Select "Shadowed Text" from the styles menu and restyle the high- lighted title, phrase or word. 3) Go to the miscellaneous settings menu and change shadow raster to 100%, and change the vertical shadow offset to 0. 4) In this same menu, set the horizontal shadow offset to a number which is roughly .03 times the point size of the affected text (That is, for 12 point text, .03 x 12 = .36 = .4 pts). However you do not need to be a mathematician to get the job done. With Calamus' ex- cellent WSYWIG display, you can just change the setting until it looks bold enough for you (starting at .3 pts and increasing to about 1 pt for headlines). DISADVANTAGES: Because we are changing the shadow text settings for the entire frame, any other shadowed text in the frame (i.e. special effects type text) will be affected. Of course, how often do you use shadowed text in a frame set up for the body of text? If you have gigabytes of memory left after loading all your fonts, then the you would only need to use this method to get a bold effect for a font that does not have a bold counter part. Obviously this only works for faking a non-existent bold font, there is no workaround for faking a non-existent italic font within Calamus that I know of (but if you know, go ahead, surprise me!) How it works: In case you haven't seen the "magic" by now; you are simply telling Calamus to duplicate the image of your text, but move it to the left .x points. This is not very much, so the human eye just sees a thicker typeface. Try it, it works. ---------------- Until next week..... ___________________________________________________________ > NEW PRODUCTS! STR InfoFile NEW GOODIES ON THE WAY! ========================== CTSY GENIE Atari-ST RoundTable Category 10, Topic 15 Message 2 Fri Aug 30, 1991 MINDOVERMIDI at 00:28 EDT NEW PRODUCTS - MIND EDIT and RESIDENT MIDI MIND over MIDI proudly announces bold new music products for the Atari ST. RESIDENT MIDI is the heart and definition of MIND over MIDI's new direc- tion - fully multitasking application/accessories which feature complete background processing and compatability with other MIDI software products, written in 100% assembly language. The first to be released will be MIND EDIT, a desk accessory/program that allows full editing, playback and recording of Standard MIDI files. All events provided in the MIDI file spec can be entered/edited, including copyright notices, cue and text events, lyric events, and System Exclusive messages. Sequence playback and recording are entirely background proces- ses, which means that you can edit events or even go work in your word processor or sample editor while a sequence is playing, with never a glitch or pause. Multiple ports, MIDI clock and MIDI Time code are all supported. Both tempo and smpte time based tracks can be created or edited, and files can be converted from format 0, 1, or 2. Full integrity checking/correction is done on files, which makes MIND EDIT ideal for those wondering why some some programs crash or write erroneous MIDI files. Never wonder if your sequencer saved a MIDI file correctly again! Version 1 will provide an event list editor, with all the editing, quan- tizing, and mask display functions needed to quickly create and edit your music. Future upgrades are planned which will also allow graphic track and event editing. All versions are designed to fit your RAM and your wallet very tightly. MIND over MIDI will be releasing a freeware version of MIND EDIT in Sep- tember, which allows playing/displaying of MIDI files. The commercial version is scheduled for release in December 1991. RESIDENT MIDI is the granddaddy of both MIND EDIT and SLAVE DRIVER. Like MIND EDIT, it is fully multitasking - all sequence playback and MIDI processing happen in the background - realtime screen updates draw around other applications' windows, processing continues whether the RESIDENT MIDI window is open or not, and new sets can be loaded while a previously loaded set is still playing. RESIDENT MIDI takes SLAVE DRIVER's improvisational sequence playback and MIDI mapping abilities to frightening new heights. Maps are created on a completely graphic instrument representation. Up to 32000 songs can be resident in memory. MIDI output can be directed out to the Atari's MIDI ports, passed to another running sequencer application, to serial and parallel ports, or selectively to any combination of the above. 48 tracks can be controlled independantly at different tempos, allowing "DJ" style overlapping of song starts and endings, or tracks can lock to other tracks, waiting for or rounding off to the nearest defined beat. Like SLAVE DRIVER, tracks can be started, stopped, looped, loaded or erased based on incoming MIDI data, allowing sequences to follow what you are playing on your instrument. Lick Recognition allows you to cue a section of a song with a "lick" or "fill", instead of just a note. Masters can be assigned a count, so that it will generate a certain Slave the third time the master occurs, for instance, allowing you to use one controller to step through various out- put events. In addition to the ability to map events you play on your instrument, you can also map the output of a sequence, allowing a one channel line to play on 6 different channels, or an event in a sequence can change rerouting maps or start other sequences. A complete generic bulk librarian is built in, which allows you to edit SYSEX messages and requests in decimal, hex, and binary. And our Permanent Record feature will catch anything you play anytime your compuer is on in a circular buffer, so you'll never miss your first inspired performance. RESIDENT MIDI will be available mid 1992. SLAVE DRIVER owners will be able to upgrade to Resident MIDI. all specifications are subject to change without notice. ____________________________________________________ > Tracker/ST STR InfoFile "A Tiny Update!" ======================= TRACKER/ST AND MULTIGEM: A TINY UPDATE ====================================== I wanted to let Tracker/ST owners know that we have made Tracker/ST just a little more MultiGem compatible. As it is, all versions of Tracker/ST run perfectly with MultiGem. Depending on how much memory you have, you can run Tracker/ST along with your favorite telecommunications program, desktop publishing program, and so on, switching between them with just a single mouse click. The only problem is that since Tracker/ST does not allow you to resize the window, accessing your other applications is a bit more difficult than it need be (you must use the Accessory Menu Bar). We will send a new version of Tracker/ST to any registered owner of our program who also owns MultiGem and wants to be able to resize their Tracker/ST screen. No other changes have been made to Tracker/ST, and this update is really very minor. To receive your new version of Tracker/ST just send a check or money order for $3.00 (to cover our mailing and disk costs) to us at the address in the Tracker/ST manual. If you have not registered your copy of Track- er/ST you must include your registration card at the same time. If you have any version below 2.5, you must sent $7.50 instead of $3.00, as that is our update fee to upgrade to version 2.5. I hope this is clear. It is a very small update, but since MultiGem is apparently selling quite well, I wanted to make this offer to any new MultiGem owners. For more information about Tracker/ST, the leading Atari mailing list and mail merge program, contact STEP AHEAD SOFTWARE at 212-627-5830. Nevin Shalit Step Ahead Software, Inc. 212-627-5830 ___________________________________________________________ > LYNX PACKET! STR InfoFile ".....looking for gaming secrets?" ========================= LYNX GAMING PACKET ================== Are you an avid Lynx Fan looking for gaming secrets? Get all the gaming info and secrets you have ever wanted in the fabulous LYNX GAMING PACKET!! 84 pages chock filled with codes, helpful hints, level maps, special tricks & secret games within games to play!! If you're interested in receiving one of these packets, rush a check for $15.00 to: Lynx Packet 4353 Vista Place La Canada, CA 91011 For more information, call 818-248-7398. Ask for Kale. Shipping will take 1 to 3 weeks. ______________________________________________________________ > Dusseldorf Show STR FOCUS *** EXCLUSIVE EYEWITNESS REPORT! *** ========================= IMPRESSIONS FROM DUSSELDORF =========================== by Oliver Steinmeier For the fifth time Dusseldorf (Germany) was the Atari Mecca, when the annual Atari show took place at the end of August. Exhibitors and visitors from all over the world came to the city at the Rhine to see what's new on the Atari market and to buy hard- and software at special fair rates. This report does not provide a complete list of new things that could been seen at the fair. Although spending two days at the fair I didn't see too many things that I was personally interested in. I was there to gather information for Germany's famous 'Atari Journal', but also to demonstrate the whole palette of CodeHead products, and this kept me pret- ty busy. I probably missed a lot of nice new products, but you can read about them in STReport, Z*Net or any other source. At the Atari booth the ST Book was shown again, and it already had a German keyboard. The batteries are said to last at least five hours. I was really impressed by this new ST, the design is surprisingly good. The technology inside the case, however, isn't the state of the art. Every- body was wondering why Atari is using an 68000 CPU with only 8 MHz in this otherwise impressive machine. Double Click Software from Houston, TX showed their software for the first time in Germany. The Dusseldorf show was the premiere of a new Double Click product called DC NoveTalk. It allows the connection of Ataris with PC/AT-SPEED to Novell networks. And one thing that really surprised me was the fact that they used a Stacy with a built-in AT-SPEED. This was the first time that I saw this machine making use of the emulator. The PC/AT-SPEED developer claimed in an interview with me about 1 1/2 years ago that it is impossible to equip the Stacy with an internal emulator board. Jim Allen and Dave Small both showed their 68030 boards. Both said they would start shipping the board soon, but first in Germany and then in the US. Gadgets by Small gave away buttons saying 'I saw the world's fastest Atari ST'. A German company, PRO-VME, sold their 68030 board Hypercache 30 at the fair. The newest German versions of CodeHead's Hotwire, Codekeys, and Multi- desk were sold for the first time in Dusseldorf. It also was the world premiere for the new Multidesk Deluxe, that now allows the use of not per- manently installed accessories, which are only loaded into RAM when needed. Charles F. Johnson confirmed that the long awaited CodeHead book will be out in a couple of months. It contains a lot of tips and tricks concerning CodeHead software and probably is very useful for every user of CodeHead products. A lot of new graphics cards could be seen at the Atari fair. More were just announced. The great competition on this sector of the market should result in a fair price for higher resolution with more colors. Vortex showed its 386SX emulator board. Omega Computer again announced its Delta Modul, another 386SX emulator, that was announced for the first time in November 1989. Although they said they'll start ship- ping the board it wasn't possible to see the emulator working. All they were able to show was a board placed in a show-case. The Mac-emulator Spectre makes use of the monochrome Megascreen graphics card and is able work in a resolution of 832*624 pixels. Spectre should be able to co-operate with every graphics card that addresses the screen memory linearly, not with extensions such as Overscan, though. The Megascreen adaptor is pretty cheap (about $170). Application Systems Heidelberg, the developer of famous programs such as Signum! or Script is now shipping Pure C, the former Turbo C. Borland Germany is no longer selling software for the Atari, and when they returned the rights to the developer, a small German software house, they contracted Application Systems as their new distributor. Application Sys- tems used to distribute Megamax/Laser-C in Germany, but that's history now. I asked one of the Application Systems managers whether they would ship Pure C to the US, and he said that this decision has not been made yet. He seemed to be reluctant, however, because of the situation on the American Atari market. There were a couple of American developers showing their products in Dusseldorf. Beside Double Click, Fast Technologies (Jim Allen) and Gadgets by Small (Dave Small) there also were the CodeHeads and Omnimon Peripherals (DEKA keyboard adaptor, OmniChrome graphics card). Atari expected some 50,000 people to come to the Atari fair. There has no official number been released yet (rumors say there were only 25,000!), but one thing is for sure: most exhibitors were very surprised and disappointed by the lack of visitors. There were no real crowds even at those booths that showed sensations. No baseball bat was needed to get a glimpse of the ST Book, for example. The traditional 'Get Together Party' for exhibitors took place Friday night. The press wasn't invited (so I had to hide my press sticker), and even the hard-working exhibitors had problems to get in. Atari gave away tickets for the dinner. Every booth team got one (!) ticket for each 12 square meters of floor-space. For those of you who still aren't used to the metric system: one square meter equals about 10.8 square feet. For the American companies - most of them had a 12 square meter booth - this limitation meant that only one person was supposed to go to that party. The problem was the same for other companies with larger booths, because most of them had a lot more people working at the booth than tickets for the so-called get-together party (should have been called 'separation par- ty!'). Nobody was happy about these restrictions, and Atari's stinginess lead to a very bad mood at some booths. When the time came for going to the party a high-ranking American Atari official (let's call him Bob <grin>) took a large group of mostly American developers (plus me) with him to the party. The changing of the expression on the face of the Ger- man Atari official who 'guarded' the entrance to the party room was very interesting when Bob arrived with his group of 30 people without tickets and got them all in. At the party Mr. Stumpf and Sam Tramiel gave brief speeches announ- cing new and 'very, very, very, very, very' (the actual number of very's in Sam Tramiel's speech is unknown) interesting new products for 1992. Sam Tramiel also promised the ST Book to be out in September (I just hope he meant 1991), the ST Pad will follow later this year. He also explained that they had some problems getting machines to the dealers, because they sold their production plant in the far east to get cash. He said Atari financially is in a very good condition now (very true, if I sold my car I'd have a lot of cash, too, but no car anymore!) and plans to buy a new production plant within the next 90 days. In the meantime con- tractors are producing the computers for Atari. Tramiel also mentioned that they'll use the 68040 in new machines next year. The buffet at the party wasn't too good and extremely crowded. I had to line up for about 15 minutes to get some food. A band (I forgot the name, but it wasn't Dire Straits) played music from the 60's (not too good, though), and Stumpf said that he hired this band because one of the guys is an old college from his former company (he probably meant Commodore). Maybe he got the band for free, and that's why they were there... There were rumors that Atari had something very new in one of their back rooms at the fair. It was so top secret that a press tag such as mine definitely wasn't the ID that would have got you in there (if there was anything at all). I'm aware that I forgot to mention a lot of companies and their products, but although it wasn't as interesting and crowded as expected the Atari fair in Dusseldorf still is the world's largest Atari fair, and it is therefore not too easy to see everything, even with a press tag. ________________________________________________ > STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date... ================================ >STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date..... THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM on CompuServe Judith Hamner 75300,2161 David Stewart has discovered how to use the editor hooks. He has created several add-ins for the built-in editor. MACRO.ZIP lets you add macros to avoid having to type frequently repeated phrases. TIMEDA.ZIP will place the time and date in your file. COUNT.ZIP will do a word count of the file currently loaded in the editor. GARDEN.ZIP is a program modified from the Good Earth Forum. It will help you calculate the crop requirements and yield for your garden. Some interesting utility programs appeared in the new uploads. CLDBT.ZIP lets the user do a cold boot without the inconvenience of removing the batteries. FBECCS.ZIP is a driver that allows you to select from multiple boot configurations. STAT.ZIP is a statistic program that runs on the Port. The big news this week is the release of Power Basic for the Port. PWRBAS.PR is the press release. PBCMDS is a list of the commands included in Power Basic compiled by Don Thomas. Don Thomas reviews the Aportfol forum itself in CIS.TXT. He offers some conclusions reached from his experience with the forum over the last month. For graphics fans Artisan Software has some new screens for use with PGSHO2.EXE. CIS.PGC offers the ConpuServ logo and "go Aportfolio". Artisan also has a new version of PGF Maker. PGF-20.ARC gives the capability to exchange PGF files with DEGAS images from the Atari ST/MEGA computers. Steve Schlanger and Craig Davis reported that problems with the Flashdrive have been solved. It turns out that the problem was with DOS format. DOS is upward compatible but not downward compatible. What this means is that drives must be formatted with the oldest version of DOS you intend to use. In many cases this is ver 2.11 found on the Port. There has been a lot of interest in external portable drives. The Flashdrive is becoming one of the standard tools for sharing files between the Port and other computers. In Forum Business you will find an ongoing debate over the merits of the HP95LX vs. the Portfolio. Also, Don Thomas has been promoting a free giveaway to anyone who requests it via email. ____________________________________________ > WAACE FALL/'91 STR SHOW NEWS "THE PREMIER EAST COAST SHOW!" ============================ WAACE Status Report - Labor Day, 1991 ===================================== WAACE, Inc. AtariFest '91 Dates: -------------------------------- The Fest is scheduled for 12 and 13 October '91. The show hours are from 10AM to 5PM both days. We also expect to sponsor some special events on Friday evening. The show will feature a full round of seminars and demonstrations. There will also be a swap meet. There will be a cocktail party and a ban- quet on Saturday evening. The deadline for discount booth pricing at WAACE '91 has passed and the deadline for submission of Ad copy (September 5th) is closing in fast. Hardcopy vendor packets have been out for over amonth now. If you have not seen your packet, please request another one by sending GEmail to J.D.Barnes. We have cash in hand (or promises of same) from: Accusoft D. A. Brumleve Codehead Software Phil Comeau Software Current Notes Magazine Debonair Software eSTeem Inc FAST Technology ICD Inc ISD Marketing Inc JMG Software Joppa Computer Products L & Y Electronics Michtron Micro Creations Musicode Software Rio Computers SLICCWARE Step Ahead Software ST Informer/A & D Software Toad Services Unicorn Publications/Atari Interface Magazine Wizworks Vendor space is starting too run short, so those who have missed out need to get cracking. Our ads in AIM, AtariUser, Current Notes, and ST Informer are starting to show results. According to the hotel we are 40 percent of the way toward our room guarantee. There are still plenty of room available, but now is the time to make your plane reservations and line up your hotel rooms. Call the Reston Inn: 703-620-9000 and mention the WAACE AtariFest. Hotel Rates: ------------ Hotel rates are $59 per night for single or double occupancy, $66 for triple and quad. These rates are valid from October 10th through the 13th. Virginia hotel tax (4.5%) must be added to the above prices. In order to obtain these rates you must mention WAACE AtariFest '91 when making your reservations. Seminar slots are starting to run short. There is plenty of time available in the demo rooms. There is a lot of MIDI interest cropping up, so the MIDI room promises to be lively. Look for upcoming announcnements on the banquet, worker registration (lots of fringe benefits), user group participation and more. In a couple of recent phone conversations people have started off by asking: "is the WAACE show really going to take place?". I am afraid that these people do not understand what makes a show tick. The first crucial item is solid vendor support, particularly in the form of exciting products. Anyone who reads my previous post has to be aware that WAACE '91 has that kind of support. The second thing is the attitude of people towards the event itself. WAACE is more than justr an opportunity to buy Atari goods at a cheap price. It is a gathering point for people. We take care to offer interesting entertainment and forums for relaxation during those hours when the show floor is silent. I think it is fair to say that we have established a tone that many people enjoy. The third item is continuity. We have a nucleus of workers who have experienced the little thrills that the Atari world can toss up to distract people. We have been through it before and we know that none of thse little items will bring the world to an end. In fact I suspect that it would take some event like the prelude to the second comiXng to cancel the show this fall. In short, tell everyone you know that WAACE '91 IS GOING TO HAPPEN. We already have enough people coming to make a wonderful party. I am looking forward to seeing all of you there. For additional Information please contact either of the following: General Chairman Vendor Coordinator Charles S. Smeton John D. Barnes P.O. Box 0122 7710 Chatham Rd Columbia, MD 21045-0122 Chevy Chase, MD 20815 GEMail: C.S.SMETON GEMail: J.D.Barnes CIS: 73047,2565 DELPHI: JDBARNES FNET: Charles Smeton, Node 500 Internet: JOHNBARNES@ENH.NIST.GOV ____________________________________________________________ > UPCOMING EVENTS! STR SHOW NEWS Connecticut and Florida too! ============================== Atari-ST RoundTable Category 11, Topic 3 Message 8 Thu Aug 29, 1991 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp] at 21:45 EDT I'm pleased to announce that I will be visiting the state of Florida on Sunday, September 8th. I will be attending the meeting of the Mid Florida Atari Computer Club in Orlando, FL. Bob Smith, President of the Mid Florida Atari Computer Club welcomes your inquiries regarding the exact time, and location of the meeting. You can contact Bob at the following numbers: work 407-740-5550, home 407-299-5374, or via the MFACC BBS at 407-290-0404. This is going to be another exciting time for us all to visit! I look forward to seeing many of my Florida friends at this meeting. Hope to see you there! best regards, Bob Brodie Director of Communications Atari Computer Corporation Atari-ST RoundTable Category 11, Topic 13 Message 1 Thu Aug 29, 1991 BOB-BRODIE [Atari Corp] at 21:29 EDT September 7th 1991: The first ever Connecticut Atarifest sponsored by Computers Etc, F.A.C.E. and S.T.A.R.R. users groups is being held at the Bridgeport Hil- ton in Bridgeport, CT. Show hours will be 10am to 5pm. This event is also being billed as a Bobfest in honor of Mr. Brodie, the Speaker of Note. John Jainnshig of Atari Explorer magazine and Nevin Shalit of Step Ahead Software will show some of the publishing abilities of the Atari while several other demonstrations are planned as well as a Group will also be on hand demonstrating their exciting new DTP-Direct to Press - equipment. Fast Technologies, Good Backup Utility, GFA Basic, Tracker ST, Gribnif, Dr. T's, Computers Etc, Atari Explorer and Atari themselves are some of the exhibitors. Free sodas and snacks will be available over at Computers Etc. after the show, and there will be significant price reductions available. You won't believe how fast a 40mhz board from Fast Tech is, but save your pennies cuz you'll want one. Located just 45 miles outside of New York City, this show looks to be a lot of fun. So hop in your car, take a train, take a plane, just be there or be square. For further information contact Brian Gockley at 203-332-1721 ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// The above is a reprint of Message 6 in Topic 3, but I thought that we should provide the show a topic of it's own, since we're getting quite close to the event. In addition to the other information here, I'm also happy to report that the Hilton has extended a very special room rate to show attendees of $49! This makes it even more attractive for a get-a-way weekend for the family! Come to the show, and enjoy all the fellowship of your fellow Atarians while your family enjoys spending a weekend in a very nice hotel for a a very reasonable rate! Hope to see you at the show! regards, Bob Brodie Director of Communications Atari Computer Corporation ---------- Atari-ST RoundTable Category 11, Topic 13 Message 2 Thu Aug 29, 1991 B.GOCKLEY at 23:09 EDT //////CONNECTICUT ATARIFEST '91\\\\\\ Confirmed to attend as of 15-August-1991: ////////////////////Manufacturers,Developers,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ o Atari Corporation (U.S.) o Atari Explorer Sunnyvale, CA Astoria, NY Bob Brodie & Mike Groh John Jainschigg o Fast Technology o TidBit Software North Andover, MA Maynard, MA Jim Allen Jeff Lomicka o Gribnif Software o GEnie Northampton, MA Fairfield, CT Rick Flashman Darlah Pine o Alternative Harware o Step Ahead Software New Haven, CT New York, NY Leo Taylor Nevin Shalit ///////////////////////////UserGroups\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ o Fairfield Atari Computer Enthusiats o S.T.A.R.R. Fairfield, CT New Haven, CT o BCS/Atari o South Shore Atari Group Boston, MA Hyde Park, MA o Nashoba Valley Atari Users o Long Island Atari Group Acton-Boxboro, MA Islip. NY ////////////////////////Show Information\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Location: Bridgeport Hilton Date: Sept. 7th, 1991 1070 Main St Hours: 9:00am - 4:00pm Bridgeport, CT Admission: $5.00 /////////////////////////////For more info\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ o GEnie: Email B.GOCKLEY or call 203-332-1721 or o Write: CT AtariFest '91 18 Elmwood Ave. * SOFTWARE *** GREAT DEALS *** PREMIER SHOWINGS *** ATARI JOY * To: Business/Technology Media From: Connecticut Atarifest '91 Re: Upcoming Events Contact: Brian Gockley, Chairman Connecticut Atarifest '91 (203) 332-1721 BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- Hundreds of personal computer manufacturer, software developers and end-users, are making plans to attend the first Connecticut Atarifest, slated to run at the Bridgeport Hilton hotel on September 6th and 7th. Trade show organizers say the event, the first of its type in Connecticut, will be composed of two professional Desktop Publishing semi- nars on Friday, followed by a full scale trade show between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday. The exhibition is being sponsored by Fairfield County and New Haven area Atari computer user groups and Computers Etc, a Fair- field computer dealer. Connecticut Atarifest is the first area computer show endorsed by Atari Corporation of Sunnyvale, Calif. Bob Brodie, Atari's Director of Communications, always full of suprises, is scheduled to appear as the keynote speaker. Another highlight will be an exposition by John Jainnschig, Publisher of Atari Explorer, a trade journal for Atari users produced on an Atari computer, and Nevin Shalit, President of Step Ahead Software, New York, NY, exhibiting the complexities of publishing magazines using computers. Other confirmed exhibitors are Fast Technologies Jim Allen, GFA BASICs John Barger, Good Backup Utilities Jeff Lomicka, Gribnif Software's Rick Flashman and many others. Visitors to Connecticut Atarifest will get a preview both days of the latest desktop publishing systems that enable them to go "Direct to Press" with creative ideas. Atari DTP systems were unveiled at this year's Cor- porate Electonic Publishing Show in Chicago, and are beingtouted in Europe, where Atari has competed more successfully and recieved more recognition than in the states. Representatives from Professional Systems Group will be on hand in Bridgeport to demonstrate the new Direct to Press equipment. Two sponsors of the upcoming Bridgeport show -- Fairfield Atari Computer Enthusiasts and ST Atari Road Runners (user groups) -- promise great buys on equipment, hands-on tips and chances to question experts while comparing products for Atari computers. FACE and STARR say there will be raffles, door prizes and pleasant surprises for those in attendence. Ad- mission is just $5 which qualifies the holder for one of several door prizes that will be given away. For more information about attending or exhibiting at the Sept. 7 show, contact Connecticut Atarifest Chairman Brian Gockley at (203) 332-1721, or write: Connecticut Atarifest 18 Elmwood Ave Bridgeport, CT 06605 _______________________________________________________________ > GLENDALE SHOW STR SHOW NEWS Southern California ATARI Computer Faire =========================== THE GLENDALE SHOW ================= PRESS RELEASE ============= UPDATE The Southern California ATARI Computer Faire, Version 5.0 (AKA The Glen- dale Show) is expected to be the largest show of its type, ever, in North America. The show will be held at The Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, California, USA. Local directions can be found by referring to the Thomas Brothers Guide for L.A. County page 25-E2. Take the Glendale Blvd. exit of the 134 FWY and go North two miles or take the Mountain St. exit of the 2 FWY and go West one block. The Faire dates are September 14 & 15, 1991 and show hours are Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-4. General admission is $6.00 per person. Anybody planning to attend the show who resides outside of Southern California may send a SASE to H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203 and receive a pass for free admission. This offer is limited to no more than two people per pass and one request per household. A special hotel rate has been made available at the Burbank Airport Hilton Hotel. That special rate is $59 per night for single or double occupancy. For reservation call 818-843-6000 and mention ATARI. If you have problems with the rate ask for Roy in Convention Services. Do not call the 800 number, unless you want to pay the National rate of $119 per night. THE GLENDALE SHOW PARTICIPANTS: ATARI Corporation * The Computer Network * Mid-Cities Computers * Goodman's Music * Musicode * Safari Fonts * Sliccware * Clear Thinking * Micro Creations * Rio Computers * Best Electronics * Branch Always * Michtron * ADG Productions * CodeHead Software * Omnimon Peripherals * Gadgets by Small * Zubair Interfaces * ICD Magazine * PDC * COMPO Software * Beckemeyer Development Tools (expected) * RIMIK Enterprises * McDonald & Assoc. * GoldLeaf Publishing * Soft-Aware * Talon Industries * JMG * Wiz- Works * Gribnif (expected) * Phil Comeau Software * Double Click * Sudden, Inc. (expected) * D.A. Brumleve * Artisan Software * BSE Company (expected) * Z*NET Online Magazine ____________________________________________________________ > Hard Disks STR InfoFile ***** ABCO SUMMER '91 SPECIALS! ***** ======================= ** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! ** ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC. P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672 Est. 1985 _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT _________________________________________ HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET _________________________________________ All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s). *-ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE-* (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!) (all cables and connectors installed) * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * * ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED * * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS * WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!< Deluxe 2 bay Cabinet w/65w auto-switching PS TIME PROVEN to be the most reliable! Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 479.00 SGN1096 85Mb 24ms 5.25" Y 549.00 SGN2055 105mb 12ms 3.5" Y 649.00 SGN6277 120Mb 12ms 3.5" Y 789.00 SGN1296 170Mb 12ms 3.5" Y 1019.00 ================================================== FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAIALABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED >> ABCO is now taking orders for 1040 & MEGA STe Computers! << Call for VERY special Introductory prices! ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are we have it or, can get it for you! AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! "We service what we sell. (IF necessary)" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. --->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 645.00__ <<--- **** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $585.00 **** WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!< COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! Cart and Utility Software Included! EXTRA CARTS: $ 74.50 DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 349.95 ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1019.00 ** Includes TWO cartridges! * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - 50mb SQG51 $ 819.00 85mb SQG96 $ 1019.00 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!< Listed above are a sampling of the systems available. Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited) ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - AT/PC SPEED - GCR LARGER units are available - (Custom Configurations) *>> NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! <<* - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - * SLM 804 Replacement Toner Cartridge Kits $42.95 * * Toner Starter Kits $49.95 * * Replacement Drums $183.95 * >> MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED << ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) WE PAY SHIPPING!!! >BLUE LABEL UPS!< QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE! _________________________________________ DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! please, call for details Personal and Company Checks are accepted. ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY! CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319 Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service 9am - 8pm EDT Tues thru Sat ABCO is EXPANDING!! CALL FOR INFORMATION! ____________________________________________________________ > A "Quotable Quote" STReport's Editorial "Cartoon" ================== "I never heard a person much abused that I was not inclined to think better of, and was indeed inclined to bestow the suspicion or dislike upon those who found pleasure in pointing out the defects of another person." .... a wise and prudent observer """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" August 30, 1991 16/32bit Magazine copyright 1987-91 No.7.35 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors/staff, PCReport, STReport, AMReport, MCReport. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. The entire contents, at the time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors, contributors and/or staff are not responsible for the use/misuse of infor- mation contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""