Fujiology Archive

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ Fujiology Archive / fujiology_archive_v1_0.iso / !MAGS / STREPORT / STR739.ZIP / STR739.TXT < prev

Wrap

Text File | 1991-09-28 | 102.0 KB | 2,525 lines

*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" from STR Publishing Inc. """""""""""""""""" September 27, 1991 No.7.39 ========================================================================== 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 __________________________________________________________________ > 09/27/91: STReport #7.39 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - AJAX Processor? - TT 68040 - FSM GDOS WHERE? - PORTFOLIO NEWS - WHAT? WHY? - Toshiba 3.5 Flop - WAACE UPDATE INFO - STR Confidential -* IN-DEPTH PAGESTREAM 2.1 REVIEW *- -* MULTI-TASKING TOS BY 03/92? *- -* TT COMPATIBILITY LISTING *- ========================================================================== 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 The WAACE Show is right around the corner, be sure to check out the updates in this issue. This is the PREMIER SHOW for the EAST COAST and has been a front runner in the Atari community for quite some time. Its a 'don't miss it' kinda show! Times sure change, it was a few years ago that I met Sig Hartman for the first time, a great guy, at Waace. Atari was about to 'bust open the market' with its new hardware releases and TOS 1.4. At the time, myself Ron Deal and Ron Brunk assisted Atari in setting up the hardware in their booth. The Portfolio was brand spanking new at the time. In fact, Desk Set II was about to debut. Ah yes, all fond memories. The WAACE shows have truly provided some wonderful times for all of us. To be serious for a moment, we all have been waiting for FSMGDOS for well over a year, it been one excuse after another, the last was the everfaithful, we're awaiting the arrival of the packaging... if this stuff is ever to become some, even slight, standard... its simply must get to market. I took the time to check the marketplace and no distributors have this software package, perhaps a publisher does, but it is not available for over the counter sales YET. At this rate, its time will have come and gone. FSM GDOS does indeed show a great deal of promise and those who have seen it in action will attest to its high quality output. I saw it in use last February/91 at CEPS and was told its release was imminent. Then I was told Aug 1. For now all that can be said is; it'll be released when its ready. It seems the software pipeline out of Atari must follow an elaborate, circuitous route. At least its better than no hope for it at all.... I think... :-) Thanks for your strong support Ralph..... ps; its at 1 5/8ths, book value is 1 7/8ths 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 Judith Hamner John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Contributing CorrespondEnts: ---------------------------- Michael Lee Richard Covert Roger Stevens Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Ben Hamilton Robert Dean Ed Westhusing James Nolan Joe Mirando Vernon W. Smith Schuylar Noell 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 *********************************************************************** 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! WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS (September 27) NEW FORUM LIBRARIES ARE COMING! New Library Software is on the way. Beginning on October 14, CompuServe will be installing this new software in all Forums. Check out the Practice Forum's Library 3 (GO PRACTICE) where you'll find several files designed to familarize you with the coming changes. POKER SQUARED Download file PKRSQR.ARC from LIBRARY 1 of the Atari ST Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for the tournament version of Poker Squared. This version includes a score verification option that sends a special DEGAS PI3 snapshot to the disk. Stay tuned for more information on the Poker Squared tournament exclusively on CompuServe! UPDATED CALENDAR PROGRAM See calendar of any month/year. Attach events to days by date or position in month- never forget a birthday again! New CalShow runs as AUTO program OR as a GEM program or desk ACC! Browse or search event, etc. Custom Desk menu entry makes it easy to distinguish multiple copies (Birthdays, Holidays, etc). Preloaded with over 10 dozen events! Download file CAL.ARC from LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Productivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO) NEW FROM DOUBLE CLICK SOFTWARE An improved version of DC PopBar from Double Click Software is now available in LIBRARY 13 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN). NEW FROM CODEHEAD SOFTWARE Several new files are now available from CodeHead software in LIBRARY 16 of the Atari Vendors Forum (GO ATARIVEN): MDDELX.ARC - Demo version of CodeHead's MultiDesk Deluxe! MDDPR.TXT - Announcing MultiDesk Deluxe! NEWPRC.TXT - Price decrease for Avant Vector! NEW IN ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM COLLEGE CLASS SCHEDULE MAKER - Given a list of classes, sections, and times, this program finds all the schedules without time conflicts. After spending hours devising a semester's schedule, have you ever waited hours in the registration line to find out that some of the classes you wanted were full? This program can help. Now runs on your Atari Portfolio! Download file SCHED.ZIP from LIBRARY 1! New files from David Stewart are now available in LIBRARY 1 of Atari Portfolio Forum (GO APORTFOLIO). BJ Gleason has uploaded a text file (and a converted program) with instructions for modifying Turbo Pascal 3.01 to compile for the Portfolio. Now in LIBRARY 1 of Atari Portfolio Forum (GO APORTFOLIO). THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM ON COMPUSERVE HAS BEEN DESIGNATED AN OFFICIAL SUPPORT SITE BY ATARI CORPORATION "GO APORTFOLIO TO ACCESS THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM" *********************************************************************** > The Flip Side STR Feature "... a different view point" ========================= A Little of This, A Little of That ================================== by Michael Lee ---------------- Some comments about Armour-Geddon from D.HYETT - Cat. 9, Topic 11, Msg. 9 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... 1. One of the smoothest 3D sims around. The helicopter control is the easiest and most intuitive control I've seen yet. The fighter control is sensitive, but can be mastered with a little practice and a soft touch. Screen update is very quick; comparible with Carrier Command. 2. Gameplay is frantic and hard. Almost too hard. There's always enemy aircraft to deal with. I can't survive too long.. even in training mode. 3. Multiplayer (two player) mode is not to be missed! You play as a team to try to accomplish the same mission as in single player (to pick up enough parts to build a neutron bomb and destroy an enemy beam cannon that is meant to destroy humankind). I have never been able to pick up any parts in single or multi play mode. It is easier with two players though. Direct connect null modem cable is required, modem will not work. Also two copies of the game are required as disk 2 must be in both system's drives. Not sure if one can get backup disks from Psygnosis, but that would enable you to play two players. Two player mode is very close to the blinding speed of the single player, but is MORE FUN! 4. The manual is not very complete. A two page "diary" of saved games gives good clues as to how to achieve the easiest and closest (location wise) objectives. Some things are just left out. How to pick up resources from fallen enemy aircraft? Who knows? Any hints to help out would be greatly appreciated! I haven't found any magazines with hints yet. If anyone else has, leave a message here. I'm almost getting tired of defeat and need some breaks. I've read the manual countless times and can't find anything new. I am VERY impressed with this game, but I am now in need of HELP! ---------------- Some comments from Alan Hamilton (STARFALL - XYZ2.01) on replacing the internal floppy drive on a 1040STf - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... The orignal drive was a Chinon, and even when it did work it was horribly noisy. It failed by having the spring on the upper R/W head break. Best Electronics sells a new head, but for $80. I got a new non-Atari drive for $64. The new drive is a 3 1/2 Toshiba. It's a 1/3 height drive. The hard- est part was configuring the jumpers. The catch is, you *don't* con- figure them. There are three jumpers behind the power connection, and two of them came shorted. I tried hooking the drive up, but although the motor would run, the drive select light wouldn't come on, and the ST wouldn't recognize it. I tried all possible permutations of the jumpers, but nothing worked. I finally noticed a *very* tiny switch next to the data plug. It's a tiny black box with a miniscule lever sticking out of it. You may need a magnifying glass to see the lever. I pushed the lever to the opposite (right) position using a jeweler's screwdriver, and put the jumpers back to their original settings. Eureka! The disk booted up fine. I got some 1/4" nylon spacers, and replacement mounting screws that were 1/4" longer than the originals. I used a small hacksaw to trim out the lower right corner of the drive opening in the upper half of the ST case, to make room for the Toshiba's eject button. I screwed everything together, and it works! I noticed that some other people here said that they had to reverse the plug on the data cable because the key was on the wrong side. I didn't have that problem; the key matched the slot in the drive's socket. However, I did have to put a half-twist in the data cable since the socket on the Toshiba was rotated 180 degrees from the Chinon socket. I was able to verify the orientation by noting which end of the plug matched pin 1 on the Chinon, and matched that end with pin 1 on the Toshiba. In addition, the wire for pin 1 on the ribbon cable had a stripe. I have heard that Atari screwed this up on a number of STs (key is wrong, or pin 1 is not the marked wire), so the safest way to do it is to match the plug based on how it was connected to the original drive. Despite the key, it is possible to plug the Toshiba in upside down. I did this by accident, and gave myself a real scare. If you do this, when you power up the ST the drive lights go on right away, instead of after a quick pause, and they don't ever go out. It works fine now, and having a *quiet* drive is wonderful. ---------------- From Nevin Shalit (SoftLogic sysop) - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... If folks are looking for a true 600 DPI printer, you should contact QMS. Their new printer is true 600 DPI in both PostScript and HP modes, parallel and serial port interface. Street price about $4700. 68020 processor, very nice printer. ---------------- Questions about the new FSM GDOS from Ed Krimen - Cat. 14, Topic 18, Msg 59 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... I'd like to verify a few things about FSM GDOS. Hopefully someone in the know (Atari? J. Townsend?) can help. Does it work with all TOS versions? If not, then which ones? I know it comes with a CPX for configuration, but does it also come with a similar desk accessory if one doesn't want to use the CPX? Thanks. Some people on Fidonet were asking, and I wanted to answer with certainty. Answer from John Townsend (Atari) - Cat. 14, Topic 18, Msg. 60 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... FSMGDOS does work on ALL TOS versions. It has CPX modules (and Accessories for those not wishing to use use the CPX modules) for configuration of your FSMGDOS installation. One word of warning. The Accessories are exactly the same as the CPX modules. (i.e. For Each CPX, there is a Desk Accessory available). If you go the Accessory route, you will probably use up more memory and take up 2-3 desk Accessory slots. ---------------- Some information about Audio CD roms from Todd (Cherry Fonts) - Cat. 16, Topic 2, Msg. 207 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Audio CD pressing price is currently $75 each for low runs (under 1000) which are classified as Desktop-CD and are produced on a smaller machine with a Mac front-end. Runs of 1000+ usually cost $2.00 ea. and runs of 5000+ get much cheaper again. That is for AUDIO CD's that are pre-edited, ready to rock (you provide a digital snapshot.) I have no idea about CD ROM CD's though. We don't deal with those at our studio. :-) I'm not sure exactly how indicative AUDIO CD pressing rates are to this. ---------------- Some great news for Interlink owners from Scott Holmes - Cat. 8, Topic 13, Msg. 143 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... I just called Intersect out of curiosity to see how the new protocols they said that they were going to write, (Zmodem and a NEW ANSI) were coming along. Well what I heard was a surprise. He (Jeff) told me that they have decided to add these features and others (a second buffer, spelling checker...ect) to a NEW version of INTERLINK! Because they are taking on this bigger project it will take more time than just the protocols, so don't expect it till next year. It seems that Intersect has not left the ST market yet. Something nice to see. ---------------- Important information about MicroProse's RAILROAD TYCOON from Drew Kerr (Captain Midnight's Game Room) - Cat. 9, Topic 10, Msg. 1 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... READ THIS IF YOU ARE ABOUT TO BUY OR HAVE BOUGHT MICROPROSE'S "RAILROAD TYCOON" FOR THE ST: The port to the ST is seriously bugged -- maybe the biggest game programming glitch in a very long time. The hard drive install program crashes every time. If you have more than 2 megs, the game crashes as well. The following solutions have been offered by John Stewart of Micro- Computer Depot in Columbia, SC (1-800-845-3070). He is presently sending back every copy of Railroad Tycoon until the bugs are fixed and will not sell one until they are perfect. SOLUTION FOR PROBLEM 1: A) If you have the PD program Disk Doctor, search out the file called RINSTALL.PRG. You must change every instance of COLOUR.LMB to COLOUR.PIX. or B) Create a folder in your hard drive called RAILROAD. Put the con- tents of both your disks into this folder. When the alert box comes up to say that a file already exists with that name, hit the OK button (meaning copy over the first file). Either way, the game should be installed. Onto the more serious problem... SOLUTION FOR PROBLEM 2: After booting up Railroad Tycoon, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR MOUSE OR THE RETURN KEY UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE FINISHED THE COPY PROTECTION PROCEDURE (identifying railroad engines and cars). The first screen option will be whether you want to use a keyboard and mouse or just keyboard. Just the first (#1). The game will then load with title screen and then credits -- you can cut them short by hitting the SPACE bar, not the Return button!! You will then be presented with a screen of railroad robber barons and a choice of whether you want to start a new game, load an old one or load the tutorial. ONLY USE YOUR ARROW KEYS -- DO NOT EVEN TOUCH OR MOVE YOUR MOUSE!! Use ONLY the space bar to make your choice. You will then reach the copy protection part where a list of possible choices fills most of your screen. Again, DO NOT USE YOUR MOUSE but the arrow cursor keys to make your choice and use the SPACE BAR. After this, you can now play the game and touch/move your mouse. Microprose UK did a very shoddy job of beta testing the game and if you find this game unsatisfactory because of these bugs, RETURN IT! Microprose's GEnie address is MICROPROSE, in case you want to let them know how you feel about releasing seriously bugged products. If you think e-mail doesn't do the trick, send a note to: Mr. Bill Stealey MICROPROSE 180 Lakefront Drive Hunt Valley, MD 21030 301-771-1151 Microprose UK's number is 011-446-6650-4326. This game is not cheap -- don't pay for inferior product, especially with Atari's place in the game market so unstable. Drew Kerr Author of "Captain Midnight's Game Room," the Atari ST mini-letter soon to be posted monthly in GEnie's library. ---------------- A brief over-view of Calligrapher from Keith Brooks (New Horizon Com- puter Systems - Calgary, Alberta) - Cat. 13, Topic 4, Msg. 1 - from the ST Roundtable on Genie... Well, as I noted in the header, I brought this product in to try it out and I am seriously impressed with the potential power of the program! Drawing tools, boxes, lines, abbreviations, speller, thesaurus, separate rulers for each line if you need it, formulas allowed, hot keys, lots of utilities to remap the keyboard and so on and so on.......... Installed OK but sure screwed up my assign.sys a lot for other GDOS programs. It did come with a special version of G+PLUS which actually runs on the TT030 with my original G+PLUS.ACC! So I was able to set up individual font folders with separate assign.sys files for each as this program has special Line_Arc (vector font) things that didn't seem to work too well with other GDOS programs and seemed to cause no end of problems with Calligrapher if it didn't find the font it needed. Other than that, this program could easily rival WP v2.0 for the Mac. Registration was sent back to the UK so the real unprotected disk could be shipped to us with latest version of the program, thesaurus and other utilities and fonts. For now, I'm stuck with a key disk that has to be in the 'A' drive for the program to run. I hope it arrives soon as some of the features are not implemented or lack features mentioned in the manual....which is _VERY_ comprehensive and well written! There's a utility to edit the keyboard and add any of the 256 ASCII characters to Calligrapher. Another will write a separate program you can put in your AUTO folder which remaps the keyboard for all programs while the computer is running. It works in WordUp, LDW, Calamus (if the font in use has those characters included) and any other programs I tried. I remapped the keypad with the <SHIFT> and <CAPS> keys so I can get - Math symbols, trademarks, bullets, [NOTE: some characters didn't come through] AHH! I see those characters don't translate across the lines but it works great! I did notice that the normal Dutch GDOS fonts have the descenders cut off on screen but print just fine. I ran into this problem with That's Write too but cured that with scaling the font. Didn't work with Calligrapher so I'm stuck with their screen fonts called 'Zurich' and 'Holland', the former too ugly for words in screen font, and the latter too small for comfortable use for any length of time. I'm sure there's a solution for this but calling the UK for Tech support is a trifle expensive. If anyone else has this good looking program, please post!!!!! I need the HELP!!!! ---------------- Until next week..... """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > WAACE UPDATES STR SHOW NEWS "THE PREMIER EAST COAST ATARI FEST!" =========================== WAACE AtariFest '91 Special Event Schedule ========================================== (times and speakers, subject to change) Friday October 10, 1991 8:00 PM Midi Concert, by Dave Kaufman's Midi Machine Saturday October 11, 1991 Seminar Schedule 11:00 AM What's New from Gribnif Rick Flashman, Gribnif Software 12:00 PM Atari Corporation Speaks Robert Brodie, Director of Communications, Atari Corp. 1:00 PM Dave Small: Live and in Person I Dave Small, Gadgets by Small 2:00 PM STReport "Computers - Now & the Future" Ralph Mariano, ST Report International Online Magazine 3:00 PM Atari Myths and Mysteries David Troy, Toad Computers 4:00 PM Mailing List and Desktop Publishing, with Tracker ST and PageStream 2.1 Nevin Shalit, Step-Ahead Software 7:00 PM Pre-Banquet Social Hour (poolside weather permitting) 8:00 PM 1991 WAACE AtariFest Banquet Guest Speaker: Nathan Potechin, President, ISD Marketing Inc. and the President of International Association of Atari Developers Sunday October 12, 1991 Seminar Schedule 11:00 AM Hardware Acceleration Featuring developers of the latest technology for both 68000 and 68030 CPU accelerators. 12:00 PM eSTeem PILOT Tom Nielson, eSTeem, inc. 1:00 PM Dave Small: Live and in Person II Dave Small, Gadgets by Small 2:00 PM Software that isn't Here! Applications and Development Tools that never made it to the Atari ST. Andrej Wrotniak, Debonair Software 3:00 PM Meet the Atari Press Featuring members of the Atari electronic and print media: John Jainschigg, Publisher/Editor of Atari Explorer Magazine; Joe Waters, Publisher of Current Notes Magazine; Ralph Mariano, Editor of STReport International Online Magazine and Bill and Patty Rayl Publisher/Editors of Atari Interface Magazine; DAVE KAUFMAN'S MIDI MACHINE Can a performer with a computer play passionate rock and roll? David Kaufman answers with a resounding yes! With a low slung synthesizer around his neck, he sings and plays a variety of original rock and pop songs in a unique interactive solo performance. Backed by an Atari computer which acts as his rhythm section of bass and drums, he plays the synthesizer live and sings. Although it's a highly technical show, his personality and soulful performance wins the crowd over, as he did performing at The Spiral Club in New York City. On his Midi Machine tape, "Trust Me" may be the hardest rockin' song ever with only synthesizers and drum machines. "No Overnight Sensation" is melodic, yet rocks with an inspired "slide synth" solo. "Break the News" is a pensive, yet driving love song. These songs show his diverse talent for writing, playing, singing and orchestrating. David Kaufman was the keyboard player and a major songwriter for The Nails, who released two critically acclaimed LP's on RCA Records in the 80's, both of which made the CMJ and Billboard charts, and which continue to receive airplay on alternative radio around the world. While with The Nails, he toured the U.S.A. and Canada. David's recent accomplishments are his bluesy, honky-tonk piano playing on New York musician Phil Gammage's (Certain General, Corvairs). Kneel to the Rising Sun CD available on the French New Rose label, and performing in a reggae band, "Voice of the Common Man." Listen to Dave Kaufman's Midi Machine and then see him live. It's an exciting and fresh sound. The Seminar Speakers: Ralph Mariano is the publisher/editor of the weekly STReport International Online Magazine. STReport has been going strong for four years now providing the ST community with up to date information on whats happening in the ST world and never hesitating to speak out on any issue in the Atari world. STReport is released every week at about 6pm on GEnie, Compuserve and Delphi online information services. Gribnif Software is the developer of NeoDesk 3.0 - The Desktop Alternative for the Atari ST, a complete desktop replacement for the ST. Gribnif Software is headed by Rick Flashman, Dan Wilga, and Tricia Metcalf. Currently they are busy developing new and exciting software for the ST, including CardFile 3, Stalker and Steno. NeoDesk is one of the best selling (if not the best selling) non-game utility software program for the ST. Dave Troy of TOAD Computers is the producer of the TOAD File 44 removable cartridge hard disk drive system. Dave has been involved with Atari computers for over eight years and is the co-owner of the TOAD Computers store in Severna Park, MD. Dave also writes a monthly column in Current Notes magazine titled "Atari Myths and Mysteries". Dave Small of Gadgets by Small requires no introduction to the Atari community. Mr. Small is the leading developer of Macintosh emulation on the Atari ST. His current products include the popular Spectre GCR Macintosh Emulator, the Mega Talk board for Mega ST computers and the SST 68030 Accelerator Board. Dave is also a featured columnist in Current Notes Magazine and noted Tesla Coil Enthusiast. J. Andrzej Wrotniak is the developer of the mathematical program El Cal (Elementary Calculator) and Star Base by Debonair Software and a regular columnist in Current Notes ("ST Toolbox") magazine. Andrej will explore the many applications and development tools that never made there way to the Atari ST. Nevin Shalit is the President of Step-Ahead Software and author of the popular and powerful mailing list/mail merge software package Tracker ST. Nevin is also a sysop of the SoftLogik Roundtable on GEnie, supporting the PageStream Desktop Publishing System. Tom Nielson is the developer of eSTeem PILOT, an authoring language for the Atari ST that allows the creation of tutorials, tests, simulations, games, laser videodisc programs, and interactive RS-232 control. Bob Brodie is the Director of Communications for the Atari Corporation. Hear what Atari plans for the future and be sure to bring all your questions concerning your favorite computers. Nathan Potechin is the President of ISD Marketing, Inc. and the President of International Association of Atari Developers. ISD markets the popular Calamus Desktop Publishing system and the forthcoming Calamus S and Calamus SL which will extend the envelope of desktop publishing on the Atari ST/TT computers. Nathan will explore the "Atari in the Middle Earth", a light-hearted look at the world of Atari computing. WAACE Personalities Update - 27 September This is the very latest list of vendors. Codehead Software Megatype Software Phil Comeau Software Michtron, Inc. Current Notes, Inc. Micro Creations D. A. Brumleve Musicode Software Debonair Software Rimik Enterprises Double Click Software RIO Computers eSTeem Inc. Rising Star Computers FAST Technology SLICCTOP Gadgets By Small Step Ahead Software, Inc. Gribnif Software Sudden Inc. ICD Toad Computers ISD Marketing, Inc. Unicorn Publications JMG Software Intl Inc WizWorks! Joppa Computer Products WuzTECH/OMNIMON Peripherals L & Y Electronics Zubair Interfaces, Inc. MacDonald Associates Special Guests: Atari Corporation Atari Explorer Magazine GEnie Atari Roundtables STReport International Online Magazine 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 banquet on Saturday evening. Further Information: -------------------- 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 *********************************************************************** :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. WHAT'S HAPPENING ON GENIE 1. Paying for college..Then let us research solutions for you..CASHE 2. AKAI U.S. IS NOW ONLINE - "FROM THE FACTORY", CAT #41.......MIDI 3. Come to our FREE "Get-Acquainted" RTC9/27...................MAINFRAME 4. RTC 9/29: How to get FREE PUBLICITY for your business.......HOSB 5. Kate Bush fans - Love Hounds Real Time Conference in . .....MUSIC 6. It's Our Birthday on GEnie and we have FREE time for you in.*FLORIDA 7. 1000's of Software Titles & Hardware at Discount Prices.....EXPRESS 8. Trying to Find ORG, The Official Recreation Guide...........OAG 9. Test drive your favorite Computing RT in November........... 10. BRAND NEW: Thunder Board music card by Media Vision........SIERRA 11. New ProTERM for Apple II coming RSN.........................A2 12. Music Composers Will Love PC-ORC in.........................TANDY 13. Soviet space agency in trouble, details in..................*SPACE 14. Low, Low prices on compact discsat..........................NOTEWORTHY 15. Get the SEARS "WISH BOOK" on-line NOW at....................SEARS In the Atari ST RT: Check out the demo version of Gribnif Software's NEW... ARABESQUE PROFESSIONAL A complete BITMAP and VECTOR illustration software for under $200! Files #20996 and #20994. CodeHead Software announces the release of: MultiDesk Deluxe A MAJOR UPGRADE for their must-have desk accessory loader/unloader! Read file #21011 for information. Also from CodeHead: a price reduction for Avant Vector! Read file #21010 for more details. Welcome Lexicor to their new category 25 and library 39. Drop by and discuss the latest on: Rosetta, CyberSculpt, Chronos Keyframe Animator, Prism Paint, the new Wiz-System and more. GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > PGST 2.1 STR Review PageSTReam 2.1 a professional DTP for the ST =================== PAGESTREAM 2.1 ============== "THE DESKTOP PUBLISHING LEADER GETS BETTER" by Vernon W. Smith PageStream 2.1 is the latest upgrade of the first fully professional desktop publishing program for the Atari ST. Starting as Publishing Partner, it changed briefly to Publishing Partner Professional and then crawled through a series of first buggy, then improving, regenerations into a program which leads the rest of the ST desktop publishers. Manuals are Better This newest version comes with a completely new User Manual and QuickStart manual which are the best yet produced by Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation, P.O. Box 290070, St. Louis, MO 63129, Phone: 1-800/829-8608. Although Soft-Logik has abandoned the three-ring binder which made page changes easy to add, it has expanded upon it's well-organized, step-by-step approach to using easily a complex program. The QuickStart Manual uses two extended tutorials to cover the basics and painlessly introduce a new user to functions which might otherwise be overlooked. After completing a newsletter page and an organizational chart, you will have learned not only how to import text and graphics, but also how to use templates and create repetitive elements with a minimum of key strokes and mouse movements. The tables of contents and the index are comprehensive and 2.1 continues the tradition of 1.8 and the original Publishing Partner in providing sequential actions which are easy to remember with repeated use. Screen Appearance is Better The most noticeable immediate difference appears on the screen. Using the larger sizes of magnification, 200%, for example, type displays with the same characteristics which will appear on the printed page. It is much easier to adjust spacing and kerning between characters. Another type of appearance has been improved, too. That is the dialogue boxes which in 1.8 were plainer and more prone to the appearance of garbage characters during multiple operations. The 2.1 boxes frequently combine into one box elements which previously required two sequential boxes. For example, special type applications such as backslant, mirror, upside down, underline, etc., can now be selected from the same dialogue box as the name and size of the font. Fill style and color can be chosen in the same dialogue box. Previously, they were separated. These changes may seem trivial in the telling, but to an experienced user of earlier versions of PageStream they are quality improvements shaving minutes off preparation time for a document. Even the Bugs are Better An annoying bug in 1.8 was the way in which one had to complete selection of justification in the Tag section of the Text Menu. Tags enable the selection of several characteristics of text at one time so that they can be saved for future implementation with a couple of key-clicks. When justification was chosen, the dialogue box would appear briefly and then dump the user back to the attributes dialogue unless the left mouse button was held down and the cursor slid to cover the category of justification desired. In 2.1, that bug is gone. Click on the justification attribute and the dialogue takes its place (like the other attribute boxes do) firmly ready for a reasoned choice. Dialogue Boxes are Better A new feature which fits the description of quality improvement is the thickening of the cursor when it appears in dialogue boxes, which makes it easier to find. Where the cursor used to automatically come up at the left of any area in which the left mouse button was clicked, it now appears at the right of the last character. What this means in practical terms is that where the speediest way to change a multi-digit entry under the old system was to use Esc to clear the area and retype the whole thing, it is now easiest to place the cursor to the right of the characters to be changed and delete and reenter only specific changes. Installation Complications I did run into a couple of problems in making the initial installation and completing the tutorials. I installed the program with all its fonts (Compugraphic CS Times, CS Triumvirate, CS Garamond, and eight Soft-Logik creations) onto the "F" partition of my 44mb Syquest Removable Hard Drive. The instructions on changing the path for the fonts were skimpy and when I first tried to type in text, I got a request to insert the floppy disks from which I had made the installation. Because I was familiar with the earlier PageStream, I knew that I had to go to the Global Menu at the upper right of the screen to select Set/Save Paths. Still, when I had indicated that the path for all of the folders in the program were F:\PGSTREAM\, the floppy disk request was repeated. I went back to the Set/Save dialogue and discovered a new button labeled Manager which brought up the fonts location dialogue box. The font paths here still showed the floppy disks. Changing them completed the installation. Although this procedure is described somewhat in the User Manual, it may be confusing to a new user who relies on the QuickStart Manual for setting up a hard drive. A bug which has not entirely disappeared is the tendency of the screen to repeatedly renew itself when text entries in a column reach the place where a new section of the screen has to be displayed. Apparently what happens with both 1.8 and 2.1 is that the speedy typist gets ahead of the computer and at the point where the screen has to change, each character triggers a refresh. The solution is to stop typing and look carefully for the location of the cursor which is also blinking on and off with the screen changes. Guide the cursor to the white area of the vertical scroll bar and click on the left mouse button. The refreshes will stop and work can continue. It does seem to me, however, that this bug is less prevalent in 2.1. It does not do this every time as it did in 1.8 but only on occasion. Tutorials are Not Flawless In the tutorial on setting up a Drop Cap (a large initial to start a paragraph made up mostly of smaller characters), I lost sight of the initial when following the instructions. Again, I knew what to do from prior use of the earlier versions of PageStream. I went to the Object Menu and placed the text column in back of the initial. Since the initial was in its own object area, this made it visible again. While the Bring to Front and Send to Back commands are covered in the tutorial, their application to this particular problem would not be readily apparent to a new user. I am always concerned when a tutorial doesn't do what it's supposed to do and there were two other instances of this in the PageStream 2.1 QuickStart Manual. Text can be linked from one column to another and if there is more text in a column than it can hold a small plus sign appears at the lower left of the column. When the newsletter tutorial is completed as the Manual instructs, the last line of copy (a byline giving the supposed author's name) disappears from the screen and from any printout which is made of the page. The solution is to place the cursor in the white space following the last visible line and press Backspace until the hidden line reappears. The example simply has an extra line space between the last line of copy and the byline. A more complicated problem surfaces in the demonstration of Rotation of a GEM symbol used as a company logo in the organization chart tutorial. PageStream (1.8 and 2.1) permits rotation by degrees. A dialogue box not only allows for entry of specific numbers but also has a rectangular box which changes to show how the rotation will look. (Skewing and slanting are also possible from this box.) In the organization chart demo, the GEM symbol which is imported has several layers of overlapping sections. The tutorial explains this and shows the user how to group and ungroup these layers. Unfortunately, it instructs the user to group all the sections before making the rotation. It turns out that this does not produce what the creator of the tutorial intended. An inner section which is supposed to be diamond-shaped goes to a broken square instead. It turns out that to get a match to the illustration shown in the QuickStart Manual the GEM symbol has to be ungrouped and only the extreme outside section rotated. Not a big deal to an experienced user, but a real frustration to a new user who probably would not know what was happening or what to do to correct it. With 1.8, I used to enter text directly into the columns (as I am doing now) with a user magnification of 125%. This was the magnification recommended in one of the earliest versions of Publishing Partner as the optimum operating mode. In 2.1, I find the 200% level of magnification more desirable for direct text entry. Not only are the characters easier to read, but at this size they show more of the characteristics of the finished printed letters. Atari 2.1 Better than Amiga 2.0 Those who were concerned because Soft-Logik spent a great deal of time creating an Amiga version which reached 2.0 before Atari, can be reassured that the company has not short-sheeted its original Atari users with a look-alike product. By mistake, I received the Amiga version in the fall of 1990. The manual was very similar to the Atari 1.8 manual although the program itself had many of the features now appearing in the Atari 2.1 version. The new Atari manual is nothing like the older Amiga one. It is completely produced with PageStream and output at 1270 dpi on a PostScript imagesetter in a wire-bound format that reflects the best in modern printing. No apologies are necessary to any other desktop publishing platform for the quality of this program. For users of previous versions of Atari PageStream, there are a number of desirable changes. The Toolbox at the right of the screen now can be moved to any other location. The Reshape Tool supports the modification of Bezier curves. (What this means is that after drawing a shape, it is possible to change it in specific directions which will be automatically smoothed out when the operation is finished.) According to the User Manual, it is possible to design a page as large as 1200 foot (Yes, I said Foot) by 1200 foot and as small as one inch by one inch. PageStream 2.1 allows up to six windows to be opened so that elements can be pasted from one document to another. Documents Have Smart Titles Another change is called Smart Titles. If the title of a window is all in lower case, there have been no changes since the file was last saved. If the first character is capitalized, then alterations have occurred which should be saved before closing the file. Pages Can Bleed Often you see commercial publications which have pictures extending all the way to the edge of the page. These are called bleeds. They are produced by printing on a larger sheet of paper than the finished page so that when they are trimmed in a paper cutter they appear to end at the cut edge. PageStream now supports this kind of production. Combined with crop marks to guide a printer, this enables a level of publication which has not been possible in Atari ST desktop publishing programs. Although designers of small newsletters are not likely to want to go to the extra expense of bleed pages, this feature makes the Atari able to compete at a higher level of professional magazine production. New KeyBoard Equivalents The new PageStream 2.1 contains several keyboard equivalents for former mouse-only instructions. For example, I mentioned earlier the occasional need to click with the mouse on the scroll bar when repeated refreshes tie up the screen. I notice that the keyboard equivalent for this is Esc U and the next time I get the refresh bug, I'll see if it stops the action as effectively as does the mouse click. Because there now are keyboard commands, PageStream 2.1 can implement macros which will "eliminate manually repetitive tasks." While the number of macros available simultaneously are ten (one for each of the function keys), macro sets can be saved to disk and reloaded to suit specific document purposes. New Fonts Display Better on the Screen There is some confusion in my mind about the fonts change in PageStream 2.1. I was informed when I telephoned my credit card order to Soft-Logik that it was not necessary to purchase new fonts to use the program with my UltraScript packages of equivalents to the PostScript faces found in many PostScript printers. (UltraScript is an emulation program which allows PostScript files printed to a disk to be used with dot matrix, deskjet, and laser printers.) PageStream 2.1 will print PostScript files to disk but to match the PostScript printer fonts, the User Manual recommends the PageStream Fonts Plus Pack which contains outline font files, screen font files, and font metric files for 11 of the most popular PostScript families: Avant Garde, Bookman, Chancery, Courier, Dingbats, Helvetica, Helvetica Narrow, Palatino, UltraScript, Schoolbook, Symbol and Times. I can use all those fonts now with PageStream 1.8 because I have a PageStream Disk A which provides screen font files and font metric files. However, files from this disk do not show on screen as they will appear on printout, so I plan to purchase the PageStream Fonts Plus Pack ($75). PageStream also offers a Font Pack 1 with 14 more fonts at the same price. For the moment, I'm keeping both PageStream 1.8 and 2.1 active so I can use either the new or old fonts rather than trying to mix them in the newer program. The Manual makes clear that PS and PSF font files used in PageStream 1.8 should not be used in 2.1. Kerning Still has to be Chosen I had expected kerning to default to automatic in 2.1 but it still has to be invoked by selecting the area to be kerned and either batch kerning the whole thing or manually kerning specific combinations. In other words, it can be made automatic but it does not default to automatic. Kerning is the process by which two letters like AV when next to each other can be reduced in space so that they do not appear to be abnormally far apart. When the entire document is batch-kerned, the screen shows text compacting from column to column as the effect is being achieved. Spell Checker is Still Too Slow I am not impressed with the Spell Checker. I never used the one in 1.8 and after spending almost 30 minutes spell-checking this document up to this point, I am unlikely to use it again. It does not recognize plural or past tense forms of common words. I also find it annoying that company words like PageStream have not been added to the dictionary! Printing Problem - A Major Bug In setting up comparison pages (2.1 direct to an Atari SLM804 Laser Printer, 1.8 direct to an Atari SLM804 Laser Printer, 1.8 through UltraScript to an Atari SLM804 Laser Printer and 2.1 through UltraScript to an Atari SLM804 Laser Printer) for the September/October issue of the ACE of Syracuse Newsletter, I ran into my first serious problem. I printed my opening page from 2.1 and it looked good but, when I tried to print a second copy, tops of the characters in the headline at the top of the page were skewed about one-eighth inch to the right. What was worse was that everything I then printed out from any ST program, was skewed about a half-inch down from the top of the page for that same depth of an eighth of an inch. Even my test-run programs for the SLM804 were skewed. I tried closing and opening the PageStream program, rebooting the Mega ST4 computer, and changing to a different removable cartridge on my Toadfile 44 Syquest Removable HardDrive. The skew persisted. Since it was affecting all programs, I assumed it might be a conflict between the SLM804 Diablo 630 emulator and other files in the AUTO folder. I moved various programs in and out of the folder to no avail. Finally, I turned everything off and went to bed. The next day, the saved PageStream 2.1 page printed the first time perfectly. But, again, all subsequent pages and any other use of the printer showed the skew. (see editor note below) I shifted to PageStream 1.8 on another partition, and prepared a page for UltraScript output to disk. It saved ok but, when I tried to print the file through UltraScript, instead of a busy bee cursor and eventual printout, I got the message, "Using Margins...Starting Server," with a kickback to the regular cursor, aborting the program. I turned off the system and the printer and tried again. Everything worked fine, as it had before I started to use the PageStream 2.1 program. This pinned down the problem specifically to PageStream 2.1. I could get only one good page before I had to turn off the printer to get another. This was particularly cumbersome with a removable hard drive because the Atari SLM804 Laser Printer is connected between the hard drive and the computer. The manual warns that it should not be turned off while the hard drive and the computer are on. This meant the hard drive had to be powered down and the cartridge removed every time I wanted to turn off the printer. Soft-Logik Technical Support Was Immediate When I called Soft-Logik Publishing's Technical Support Line at 314/894-0431, I was able to get through on the third ring and a patient support person, named Sheryl, identified me as a legitimate PageStream 2.1 purchaser and took down the information about my problem. She asked me to send in documentation including a disk with the problem file. Less than ten minutes later, she called me back to say she had talked with a programmer and that this was a problem Soft-Logik was aware of, for which there was no fix yet. She said I would be sent a new printer driver as soon as it became available. No further documentation of my problem would be necessary. My faith that Soft Logik would come through was justified when the new driver arrived six weeks later. In the meantime, it prevented me from using 2.1 to any serious degree because normally I couldn't afford time to turn everything off and on for every page I printed. However, I did take time before the new driver came to compare the types of printout mentioned above. All Fonts are not Created Equal UltraScript's PostScript-emulation packages of fonts include Helvetica, which can be directly compared with Helv (PageStream 1.8) and CS Triumvirate (PageStream 2.1), and Times, which is comparable to Tyme (PageStream 1.8) and CS Times (PageStream 2.1). UltraScript Palatino has some similarities in appearance to PageStream 2.1's Garamond Antiqua. The PageStream 2.1 faces are noticeably better in printout than the PageStream 1.8 faces. The letter forms are more subtly shaped with greater contrast between thicks and thins. On the printed page, 10 point Tyme text with 11 point fixed leading looks much heavier and darker than 10 on 11 CS Times. However, if you have a dot matrix printer, you may prefer Tyme over CS Times because with the latter it is easier to get dropouts in small text sizes in characters like "b" and "o" which have higher contrasting thin and thick sections. On the Atari Laser Printer, with the toner density set properly, CS Times is much more attractive. Ten point Helv Bold (1.8) subheads show darker on the screen but appear lighter on the printer. Ten point CS Triumvirate Bold subheads (2.1) are sharper and more open. Larger sizes of Tyme and Helvetica look fine by themselves but when compared side by side with CS Times and CS Triumvirate they are slightly heavier and less pleasantly shaped. As far as I'm concerned, UltraScript is still champion in looks but not by much. And UltraScript can be used with 2.1, according to the Manual. (I prepared this page in 2.1 and printed to disk with the PostScript driver. When the .PS file was picked up in UltraScript, the window area showed that the fonts I had used on this page - CS Times for text and CS Triumvirate Bold for subheads - were being converted to Times Roman and Helvetica Bold which are in my UltraScript fonts folder.) What deters the use of UltraScript, given the availability of 2.1's Compugraphic fonts, is the time needed for printout. PageStream 2.1 direct took nearly two minutes to roll off the first page. PageStream 1.8 took 15 seconds longer on the simular second page. But on the third page, UltraScript took more than three minutes for the PageStream 1.8 print to disk and another five minutes for processing from disk to printer through the UltraScript program. I've always been willing to endure the extra UltraScript time because of the improvement in quality over PageStream 1.8 but I'm sure when 2.1 is working properly I'll not want to bother when using comparable fonts. Graphics are Well Explained The PageStream User Manual does a good job of explaining the differences among bit-mapped (raster) pictures, object (vector) drawings, and Encapsulated PostScript graphics. It specificially identifies the variations of these which are supported. For example, "GEM 3 illustrations created on MS-DOS machines may not import properly into PageStream because they do not adhere to the GEM 1 Atari standard." The bit map formats which are supported include IMG, IFF, TIFF, MACPAINT, GIF, DEGAS, PCX, NEO, TNY; object drawn formats include GEM Metafile, DR2D, AEGIS, PRODRAW; and the Encapsulated PostScript formats include EPS, MACEPS (PICT headers are ignored), and IBMPS. Pictures still take a long time to load into PageStream 2.1, just as they did in 1.8. A GEMDraw AUTOS. GEM file which would not import to PageStream 1.8 does import to PageStream 2.1. PageStream 2.1 (and 1.8 before it) has color capabilities which I have not explored because I do not have a color printer and do not prepare color separations for commercial processing. Reports from Atari shows indicate that the color printing demonstrations have been well-received. The general improvement of PageStream 2.1 over PageStream 1.8 makes it a worthwhile purchase new or as an upgrade (assuming the Atari Laser Printer bug is solved promptly for those who are affected by it.) Editor Note: ------------ As of this issue, the printing bug with the Atari Laser Printers is fixed and is even faster than before. SoftLogik continues to support the ST platform vigorously and in a responsive, timely manner for the users. PageStream 2.1 is currently available from Atari dealers and mail order sources or direct from: Soft-Logik Publishing Corporation P.O. Box 290070 St. Louis, MO 63129 Phone: 1-800/829-8608 List price is $299.95 __________________________________________________ > WHAT?? STR FOCUS A few comments about last week's editorial ================ Comments On An Editorial? ========================= by Dana P. Jacobson After reading last week's editorial, and the subsequent comments from many readers, it seems that perhaps the premise needs additional reflection. The editorial may have caused some confusion as to its intent, but negativity, especially towards the Glendale show, was not the message that I got. The message that I perceived was that we, as users, are starved for information and product _from_ Atari. This premise was perhaps misleading because it arose from the great success of the Glendale show. Misleading because southern California is fortunate enough to be one of those areas (probably) blessed with great dealer support and Sunnyvale within close proximity. But, I believe that last week's editorial was more of a reflection of the "starving" users nationwide. This idea is not strange to many. Two years ago, I got involved in an effort to host an AtariFest in the Boston area. The reason that I wanted to get involved was to help provide the New England area the opportunity to see what's available to the users - something our dealer network was having difficulty doing on its own. Yes, there are the online magazines such as STReport to give us some news. Yes, there are a few hardcopy magazines left to go into more detail. Yes, there are the commercial services such as Delphi, GEnie, and CIS to provide information. Yes, there are user groups to provide a common forum for users. But, the thing that _is_ lacking is a highly visible Atari Corporation. Shows like Glendale and WAACE, and there are others, are the real means for users to learn firsthand what and who is available. Without these shows, where would we be today? This, I believe, was the true premise behind last week's editorial. Glendale drew over 3,000 people to the show, a terrific feather in the hat of John King Tarpinian and the other folks responsible for the show's success. WAACE will also be a successful show, and attract a great turnout. These events are necessary so that we can continue to get firsthand knowledge of new products. It's the way for us to meet the folks who have been supporting us. Without these shows, tell me honestly, how many of us would really know what's going on for support. Magazines and online messages can only tell us so much. What we really need is to be able to see and touch these new products. What we really need is to have an extensive (and supported) dealer network so this will be possible. The existing shows are terrific, and I hope that they continue to be successful. But, the thing that bothers me is that I have a feeling that they don't attract a lot of new users into the fold. That's really not the function of these shows, is it. Without a highly visible Atari, it's difficult for new users to learn about our machines. Without dealers, those that do hear about the machines, and are impressed, may not be able to learn more about them and/or buy one. Now, I know there will be some who read into this commentary and think: "If the only way _we_ can learn firsthand what's available, hence the success (in numbers) of Glendale; why didn't other shows obtain similar attendance numbers?" Well, to answer that is fairly simple: Glendale and WAACE are established shows and have proved over and over again that they are the "premier" shows. The other shows, especially this year, were called successes, regardless of the lack of an extra "0" tacked on to the figures. These shows are mostly first-timers and were not heavily advertised outside their immediate areas. I would think that if these shows became annual events, the numbers would grow with time and successes. I do feel wholeheartedly that without these shows Atari and its users would decline more rapidly than it is. Optimism is always prevalent at these times of the year when the major shows are upon us, gratefully. Atari has to do something to continue this optimism, because we all know that come mid-winter when the "glow" of the shows has finally passed, the optimism can and will probably change. It happens every year. Things do appear to be improving at the moment. I'd like to know more about the AEGEIS dealer network and how it will operate. I'd also like to know what dealers are involved. I'd like to know that the STe, MegaSTe, and TT are plentiful. I'd like to be able to see an ad by Atari in non-business environments. I'd like to see less emphasis on the Lynx and Portfolio and see more computer-related publicity. I'd like to see Atari realize that the optimistic "high" of the AtariFest season will only last so long; that Atari should capitalize on this feeling and re-establish itself as the best computer for your money. Jack, the time is now. Pull out all of the stops and forge ahead. Get that product out by the truckloads! Establish those dealers and fill their shelves with stock! Attract new users with great marketing plans!! And, keep supporting the shows! To all of you who are planning to attend the WAACE show in a few weeks, I look forward to seeing many of you again. I'm also looking forward to meeting many more new people, especially those whom I only know by a name or handle from the online services. To me, this is one of the greatest pleasures of these shows. See you all in a few weeks. Until next time... ___________________________________________________________ > TT030 COMPATIBILITY STR FOCUS Software Compatibility List ============================= TT Software Compatability List ============================== 9/22/91 Compiled by Schuylar Noell Title Run Comments """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 10th Frame Y Bowling game. 3D Graphics Y by Abacus AAARGH N APB N ARCX.TTP Y Very fast. Runs in TTRam also. Afterburner Y Fast. Alien Syndrome Y Arena N Arkanoid N Army Moves N Arrakis Advantage Y ST Scholastic Series, many titles. Art Gallery Y ST res. only. Artic Fox Y Axe of Rage Y Runs, but color funny. BGAMMON.PRG (public domain) N BMX Simulator Y Baal N Bad Cat Y Sound from RCA jacks, not internal. Balance of Power Y Bards Tale Y Runs, but a little funny. Batman-The Movie N Battle Chess Y No sound from red side. Battlezone Y Fast. Better Dead Than Alien Y Good game. Bio Challenge N Bionic Commando N Black Lamp N Blasteroids N BlockBuster Y A little fast. Blue Angel 69 Y Good game. Bomb Jack Y Fast Boulder Dash Constr. Kit Y Fast Bratacus N Bubble Ghost Y Buzzword Y Calamus 1.09 Y STRam and ST High res. only. Calamus Assistant Y Works in TTRam also. California Games N Captain Blood N Cards N by Michtron. Certificate Maker Y Chronoquest N Chrystal Castles Y Clean Up 2.2 Y ST med or high res only. Club Backgammon Y Code-Name Iceman Y Colonels Bequest Y Cracked Y Fast Custodian N CyberCAD 3D Y by Tom Hudson v2.03 DCBoot It Y Dark Castle Y Datamanager ST Y Runs in TTRam and TTMed res also. Death Bringer Y Death Sword Y Fast Defender of the Crown N DejaVu Y Diablo Y Diskstat.APP Y Dive Bomber Y Sound is wierd. Dogs of War N Dominator N Donald Duck's Playground N by Sierra, on copy protected disks. Double Page IV Y STRam only. Dungeon Master Y EasyDraw ver 2.30 Y Empire Strikes Back N F-19 Stealth Fighter N Falcon N Fantasia Demo N Sound, but no graphics Fast Lane N Faster (Disk Magazine) Y Ferrari N Fiendish Freddy's Bigtop O' N Fighter Bomber N Won't run on ST w/T16 either. Final Assault Y Financial Cookbook Y Fireblaster N Flash ver. 1.6 N Flintstones N Fusion N Loads to title screen only. Future Wars Y Very fast. G+Plus ver. 1.2 N Newer version works. G+Plus ver. 1.5 Y Runs fine. GFL Football N GIFCOLOR.TTP Y GIFSCALE.TTP Y Garfield N Gateway Y Runs, but text is funny. Gato Y Gauntlet N Hard on disk drive. Gauntlet II N Title screen loads, then bombs. Ghostbusters II N Ghouls & Ghosts N Gold Rush Y Golden Path N Goldrunner Y Goldrunner II Y Too fast. Great Giana Sisters N Gunship Y H.A.T.E. N Hacker II Y Hard Drivin Y Runs fast. Hero's Quest Y Heros of the Lance Y Hex Y High Roller Y Sound from RCA jacks. Hippo Almanac Y Hippo Jokes & Quotes Y Hole in One Golf Y Hollywoood Poker Pro N Home Accountant Y Hostages N Disk 1 runs, Disk 2 crashes Hoyles Cards I Y Runs in TTRam also. Fast. Hoyles II Y Runs TTRam also. Ikari Warriors Y Impossamole N Impossible Mission II Y Indiana Jones N Arcade Version Indiana Jones Y Graphic Adventure International Soccer N Intersect Rambaby Y Runs TTRam, TTLow & TTMed res. also. Into the Eagle's Nest Y A little fast. Iron Lord N Jet N by Sublogic Joker Poker Y Joust Y Almost too fast. Karate Kid II Y Kings Quest IV Y Knicker Bockers Y LHARC.PRG Y Leaderboard Golf Y Fast. Swing indicator is odd. Leathernecks N Leisure Suit Larry I Y Leisure Suit Larry II Y Runs in TTRam also. Leisure Suit Larry III Y Runs in TTRam also. Lemmings N Hard on disk drive. Little Computer People N Lost Dutchman Mine Y Lowswitch.PRG Y MDISK60 N Ramdisk. Use Intersect Rambaby. Major Motion Y A little fast. Makin Whoopee N Manhunter Y Manhunter II Y MasterCAD 3D Y Menace N Miami Vice Y Mickey Mouse N Tries to load into TTLow res? Midwinter N Millipede Y Monopoly N Public Domain Version Monty Pythons Flying Circus N Mr Heli N Music Studio 88 Y NMB.PRG (speed tester) Y Runs TTRam &STRam, TTmed. res. also. Navy Moves N Nevermind N Nickelodeon Five N Nightwalk Y North & South Y Good game, but too fast. OO-Topos Y Obliterator N Off Shore Warrior Y Oids Y Sound likes RCA jacks best. Operation Neptune Y Operation Wolf N Outline Art Y ST high res. only. TTRam & STRam. Outrun Y Runs faster and smoother. P47 N Pacland Y Pacmania N Paladin Y Paperboy N Payroll Master Y by Royal Software Peggammon Y Perfect Match Y Perry Mason Y Phasar 4.0 Y Runs in TTRam and TTMed res also. Platoon N Plutos Y Pokersqr.prg Y Runs in TTRam also. Police Quest II Y Populous N Too bad, hope fix comes! Power Drift N Powerdrome Y Almost too fast. Printmaster Y Pro Tennis Tour N Publisher ST N TT ram only. Puffy's Saga N Q-Ball Y Quizam Y Rainbow Islands N Rampage Y Red Heat N Return Of The Jedi N Road Raider Y Fast, wait on disk access. Road Runner N Roadwars N Robocop N Loads to title screen only. Rocket Ranger Y Very fast. SDI N Sega-Activision Version SDI Y by Cinemaware ST Karate N ST Pool Y by Shelbourne Software ST Wars Y Very fast. Audio RCA jacks only. ST Wrestling N STCopy Y For Navarone FB Scanner, TTRam also. STEPLAY.TTP Y STESOUND.PRG Y STScan Y For Navarone FB Scanner, TTRam also. ST_TYPE.TOS Y Scrabble Y Scruples Y A little fast. Seconds Out N Tries to load into TTLow res? Shackled N Shadowgate Y Shufflepuck Cafe Y Sierra Software Y If it installs on HD it will run. Silent Service Y Sim City Y Fast Skyfox N Slayer N Soldier Of Light Y Almost too fast. Space Ace N Space Cutter N Space Harrier N Space Quest II Y Space Quest III Y Space Racer N Space Station Oblivion N Spectre GCR Y Ver 3.0, STRam only. Speed Buggy Y Fast Speedball Y Spitfire 40 Y Spitting Image N Star Blaze N Star Raiders Y Starglider N Starglider II Y Fast! Starquake Y A little fast. Starwars Y Very fast. Steel N Stock Market The Game N Strike Force Harrier Y Strip Poker Y Origional Version Stunt Car Racer N Stunt Track Racer N Sub Battle Simulator Y Sundog N Super Hang On N Super Huey N Not worth running anyway. Super Ski N Loads to disk B, bombs. Super Sprint Y Super Wonderboy N Supercharger ver. 1.2 Y (for EasyDraw) Switch Blade N Table Tennis Simulation N Tanglewood Y Fast Tank Attack N Tass Times in Tonetown Y Runs fine. Terrorpods N Test Drive N Selective Machines Tetris Y Too fast. Thai Boxing N The Grail Y The New Aladdin Y Disk Magazines The Newzealand Story N The Pawn Y Runs fine. The Running Man N Their Finest Hour Y Thunderblade N Timebandit N Total Eclipse Y Touch-Up Ver. 1.56 Y Runs in TTRam, No TTMed res. Fast. Trail Blazer Y A little fast. Transputor Y Trivia Challenge Y Turbo Cup N Turbo Outrun Y Turbo ST 1.8 N Compatible version RSN. TwinWorld N Typhoon Thompson N UIS ver 3.3 Y Runs TTRam also. UNLZH172.PRG Y Works in TTRam also. Very fast. Uninvited Y VKiller.PRG Y Ver. 3.84, runs in TTMed res too. Vegas Craps Y Vegas Gambler Y Virus Y Too fast. Vixen Y Wanderer (1st version) N Starts to run, but bombs. Warzone N Whatis35.PRG Y TTmed res. also Wicked N Winter Games Y Word Writer ST Y TTRam & TTMed res also. Spell NG Wordflair (Demo) Y World Darts N World Games N Xevious Y Z_POKER.PRG (Public Domain) Y TTRam also. Zak McKrackan Y Zany Golf Y Faster than normal. Zoomtest.PRG Y Works in TTRam also. This is a list of programs that I've tried on a TT030. Most programs that won't run are heavily protected on disk games. I hope that this will help some of you, and I hope that some type of fix will come from a programmer to trick the TT030 into thinking it's a regular ST running at 8mhz. I believe that this would fix most problems. I can be reached for additions and or corrections on Delphi under the username SCHUYLAR, or by mail at the following: Schuylar Noell PO Box 50151 Denton, TX. 76206 ______________________________________________________ > STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard" ============= STReport's MailBag ================== Ctsy GEnie Cat 18 Msg 1 A.DIPIETRO [Anthony D.] I would like to see this forum used to express opinions and possible solutions. I _don't_ want it to degrade into posts of name calling and baiting. IF it does, I hope Darlah or one of her staff immediately closes the TOPic and destroys it. Remember, you don't have to attack to express an opinion... --------------------------------------------------------------------- The World from Atari's Eyes... Many of us our frustrated by Atari's lack of market penetration here in the US. While we argue amongst ourselves, do we ever take a chance to see what the world looks like from Sunnyvale? As your mother always told you "Look both ways when you cross the street." The next time you're ready to slam Atari, try to look both ways...see it from "your way" then turn it around and see it from "their way". You might be surprised at why they do seemingly "stupid" things. Let's take two examples: POOR MARKETING: Our way - Simply put: Atari, especially the Tramiels, is too inept to market the ST/TT line. Their way - US business is committed to IBM and to a lesser extent the Mac. Why pour resources into marketing when the gain to be had is very little? (hey, did YOU buy an Amiga when they ran TV ads a few years back?) Short supply: Our way - Simply put: Atari, especially the Tramiels, is too inept to supply the market with STs/TTs. Their way - When they bought Atari, they had a warehouse full of unsold games and computers....with the US market relatively hostile to the ST, why commit a huge inventory only to have it sit and rot away in a warehouse? (Don't the Japanese practice "just in time" inventory?) Look, it's simple in my view. The home computer in the early 80s was mainly for hobbyists and other visionaries. Businesses never took them too seriously until IBM came to market. Once that happened, the PC market was turned upside down. American business bought IBM. The rest is, as they say, history. S o, who do I blame for Atari's current state? Sure, I put some of the blame at Atari's doorstep, but I also put an equal amount of blame on us Americans. Rather than take the time to see what's the best technology for the buck, we blindly follow the leader. Yes, Jack and his sons have made mistakes, but so haven't Americans, who judge books by their covers and not by their contents. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to express your opinions about the above, but remember: attack the message and NOT the messenger. If I'm wrong, point it out..politely :). Anthony Category 18, Topic 2 Message 2 Sat Sep 21, 1991 A.FASOLDT [Al Fasoldt] at 06:35 EDT Anthony, Blame the customers for poor management of a company?? Is *that* what you are saying? There are a lot of good things that can be said about the way Atari is reshaping its product line and the way it is (apparently) beginning to respond to the North American market, and most of us will agree that the presence of Atari's own hardware and software gurus here on GEnie is a big plus. (Try to get that kind of support from Apple!) But the customers aren't running the company. Al ------------ Category 18, Topic 2 Message 3 Sat Sep 21, 1991 J.FURUKAWA [SHMOGI] at 07:40 EDT A word about the Japanese use of "just in time" inventory. While it's a nice concept in theory, what the Japanese really use is "just in time" manufacturing. Largely since a company generally owns everything from manufacturing of the components to the construction of the goods. Must of the cost is passed around and in some cases, the manufacturing side ends up making almost zero profit. Of course the "front end" company ends up with the BIG profit. Of course, the bottom line is that their system works, but the numbers can be somewhat deceptive. And yes, Atari's marketing does suck. As to why we can only speculate. Perhaps it cash flow, or lack of manufacturing capacity. Perhaps we should really concentrate on WHY they aren't doing something, but rather WHAT their strategy may be. That's what I'd do if I was the competition. ---------- ctsy Delphi FORUM>Reply, Add, Read, "?" or Exit> J31146 26-SEP 21:43 CPU/STR Newswire RE: Z*Net and ST Report (Re: Msg 31136) From: KAMIKAZE_ACE To: DPJ Yeah, with Atari being as "well-loved" as they are, a "Just Say No! to STR" button should make anyone with half a brain want to D/L it... Kinda like those "Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics" stickers. I love those... I see one, I know I'll probably like the album. 1101 Number 13 END OF LINE /\/\ark "Maybe Ralph should start 'stickering' ST Report...!" "Parental Advisory: Cynical Lyrics Inside" ctsy FNET Electronic Mail Sent : Sep 17, 1991 at 9:30 AM To : Ralph Mariano From : Philip Hanze Subj : my mega 2st Ralph, what's the deal with Atari. Back in July or the beginning of August the transformer on the pole out front blew and it sort of messed up my Mega ST2. Since there really aren't any local atari service people, I decided it would be simpler to send it back to atari, so I did. In a few weeks they sent me a letter saying that they are temporarily out of stock and would send me a new one soon. About two weeks ago, I called, they said they just got a shipment in and said they would check and see if mine was in there and call me back. They NEVER called me back! So this past friday, I called again. This time they told me they are reorganizing the department and that they would call me back. Once again NO CALL BACK! WHAT'S THE DEAL? Do you know what's going on out there? ___________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL "REPORTING ABOUT ATARI...NOT FOR ATARI!" ===================== - Ann Arbor, MI AIM MAGAZINE INTROS MAC/SPECTRE DISK! ------------- Aim Magazine will be attending the upcoming WAACE AtariFest this October 12th & 13th in Washington, DC. We look forward to seeing y'all there! Aim Magazine also is announcing their new Mac/Spectre disk of the month! They'll be selling this at the WAACE show, along with an ST Disk of the Month and an 8Bit Disk of the Month. The Mac/Spectre disks are all double-sided, with the files archived in self-extracting archives. The software has been tested vigorously with Gadgets by Small's Spectre GCR Mac emulator. The disks are available in either Mac format or Spectre format for those using older emulators. For more information, feel free to post a message here or call Aim Magazine at 313-973-8825 - New York City, NY UNIX HINTS OF FUTURE ----------------- X-Wish is something like the GEM Desktop but it is vastly more powerfull. It is an amazing file manager with some functions you can find on the NextStep File Manager. It is very impressive. 2/ No, no new machine is required to run ASV. It is installable on the current TT. Its proposed that Atari will sell 3 different versions: - The full version with the TT - The Unix Package and ASV Kit - The ASV Kit. The ASV Kit includes: All software and systems A 16 MB of TT RAM expansion A 320 MB hard disk A VME/Ethernet board - London, UK SAM DROPS A FEW HINTS ---------- In a recent interview to ST Format, Sam Tramiel reveals some very interesting tidbits: - We will have a new joystick (analog Joy) - The AJAX processor will handle 2 MB floppy drives - A new TT with a 68040 will appear early in 1992 - The multitasking version of TOS will be available in MARCH 92 _______________________________________________ > Hard Disks STR InfoFile ***** ABCO FALL/'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) (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 SGN6277 65Mb 28ms 5.25" Y 519.00 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! FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAIALABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! CPU ACCELERATOR & MEMORY UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED >> ABCO is now taking orders for 1040 & MEGA STe Computers! << Call for VERY special Introductory prices! ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are we have it or, can get it for you! AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! "We service what we sell. (IF necessary)" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCOFILE "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. --->> SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 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 * * SLM 605 Toner Cartridge Kits $29.95 * * Panasonic Toner Cartridge Kits Call * * Toner Starter Kits $59.95 * * 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" ================== "AN ERROR DOES NOT BECOME A MISTAKE.... ....UNTIL YOU REFUSE TO CORRECT IT!" .... California Dreamers """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" September 27, 1991 16/32bit Magazine copyright 1987-91 No.7.39 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""