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*---== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" from STR Publishing """""""""""""" June 12, 1992 No.8.24 ========================================================================== 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 Support BBS Network System * THE BOUNTY BBS * * TURBO BOARD BBS SYSTEM * FNET 350 ~ Fido 112:35 ~ TNET 100:2/0 904-786-4176 USR/HST 24hrs - 7 days 1200 - 19.2bps V.32 - 42 bis 16.8 Dual Standard FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EST ----------------------------------------- FNET.. 18 ~ TNET 100:3/0: ///Turbo Board BBS Support...1-416-274-1225 FNET.. 75 ~ TNET 100:28/0 Bloom County BBS.............1-415-965-9347 FNET. 350 ~ TNET 100:2/0 The Bounty *<Home of STR>*...1-904-786-4176 FNET. 489 ~ TNET 100:22/0 Steal Your Face BBS..........1-908-920-7981 FNET 1031 ~ TNET 100:1/0 <<< INTERNET - UK>>>.... 011-44-296-395-935 _____________________________________________________________________ > 06/12/92 STR 824 "The Original * Independent * Online Magazine!" """""""""""""""" - The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - PORTFOLIO NEWS - FONTGDOS? - 1.3" 21MB - BBS RAIDED BY FBI - BLUE RIDGE NEWS - MIST UPDATES - STRAIGHT FAX REVIEW - MIGRAPH OCR REVIEW - COMPUTER ETHICS? - STR Confidential -* ISD ANNOUNCES WINNERS! *- -* LOANS DETAILED *- -* AUA -> BATTLE OF BATTLES! *- ========================================================================== ST REPORT INTERNATIONAL ONLINE MAGAZINE The Original * Independent * Online Magazine -* FEATURING WEEKLY *- "Accurate UP-TO-DATE News and Information" Current Events, Original Articles, Tips, Rumors, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's BBS, The Bounty, invites BBS systems, worldwide, to participate in the Fido/TurboNet/Atari F-Net Mail Network. You may also call our BBS direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging information relative to the Atari and other computers worldwide through the use of excellent International Messaging Networks. SysOps, worldwide, are quite welcome to join the STReport International Conferences. The Crossnet Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All BBS systems are welcome and invited to actively participate. Support Atari Computers; Join Today! ========================================================================== GENIE ~ CIS ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ FIDO ~ FNET ~ TNET ~ INTERNET EURONET ~ CIX ~ CLEVELAND FREE-NET ========================================================================== 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 (June 12) -** FONTGDOS AVAILABLE **- ------------------ FONTGDOS is now available (courtesy Atari Corp) in LIBRARY 9 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) along with Bob Wilson's help file. NEW IN ATARI VENDORS FORUM (GO ATARIVEN) NEW FILES IN THE MAXWELL C.P.U. LIBRARY (LIB 6). Please download: SILDEM.INF ---------- - Information file describing Silhouette V1.37, the two demo versions offered (ST, TT versions), new features, future features and purchase information. S137TT.LZH ---------- - SILHOETTE VERSION 1.37 DEMO <TT VERSION>. Contents include Silhouette, a help file readable from inside Silhouette (help key), and information file. S137ST.LZH ---------- - SILHOETTE VERSION 1.37 DEMO <ST VERSION>. Contents include Silhouette, a help file readable from inside Silhouette (help key), and information file. ** NEW ICD HOST ADAPTOR UTILITIES, NOW IN LIBRARY 7 ** Codehead Technologies has uploaded a free patch program for WARP 9 owners. See the file W9 UPGR.LZH now available in LIB 16. NEW FOR THE PORTFOLIO A Video Poker game now available for the Portfolio! Check out PFPOKR.ZIP now in LIBRARY 4 of the 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" """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > From the Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!" """""""""""""""""""""" Its summer alright, the thunder storms in the area are rumbling away every afternoon. The majestic power of mother nature is a marvel that never ceases to amaze me. Equally amazing is the amount of profuse goings on behind the scenes concerning this "exclusive business" even to the extreme point of one Atari whig crying about "integrity" and "principles" being impugned. The entire matter was rife with classic examples of gross in-experience, bad politics and a total disregard of the rights of the loyal, Atari user. Hopefully, those who are/were responsible have learned to hold greater respect for the users. It appears this is exactly what has happened as the "exclusive" and/or 30 day thing is no longer in effect as far as Atari files are concerned. To sya it like it is, one must obtain permission from Atari to be able to distribute these files. They are available on Compuserve, Delphi and GEnie at this time. On another front, ISD has announced the winners to their latest contest. Lord knows this stuff is georgeous! Make it your business to download the winners files. (all 10 of 'em) They are simply put, knockouts! Each and every one of them is a winner. Congratulations to all. Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's Staff DEDICATED TO SERVING YOU! """""""""""""""" Publisher - Editor """""""""""""""""" Ralph F. Mariano PC DIVISION AMIGA DIVISION MAC DIVISION ----------- -------------- ------------ Roger D. Stevens Charles Hill R. ALBRITTON STReport Staff Editors: """"""""""""""""""""""" Lloyd E. Pulley Sr. Dana P. Jacobson Michael Arthur Lucien Oppler Brad Martin Judith Hamner John Szczepanik Dan Stidham Joseph Mirando Steve Spivey Doyle C. Helms Contributing Correspondents: """""""""""""""""""""""""""" Michael Lee Richard Covert John Deegan Brian Converse Oliver Steinmeier Tim Holt Andrew Learner Norman Boucher Harry Steele Ben Hamilton Neil Bradley Eric Jerue Ron Deal Robert Dean Ed Westhusing James Nolan Vernon W. Smith Bruno Puglia Clemens Chin 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 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > CPU STATUS REPORT LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS ================= Issue #24 Compiled by: Lloyd E. Pulley, Sr. -- MATCHBOX DISK DRIVES AVAILABLE FROM HP Calling it the world's smallest disk drive, Hewlett-Packard Co. this week unveiled their matchbox-sized HP Kittyhawk Personal Storage Module - a 1.3 inch disk drive that can hold 21.4 megs of data. According to a spokesperson for HP, "The smaller size of HP's disk drive makes it more durable than larger disk drives, which (have) moving parts that often malfunction if bumped." While HP plans to manufacture the matchbox drives mainly for its own machines, it also plans to sell them to companies that might want more memory for small portable computers, cellular phones and medical equip- ment. HP will sell the devices for $450 each, or for $250 when ordered in quantities of 100,000. -- DELL OFFERS FIRST UNDER 4 POUND NOTEBOOK The new Dell 320SLi, a 3.6 pound notebook '386SL system was shown by Dell Comuter Corp. this week. Dell says the 320SLi, is the industry's first full-function 386SL system to weigh less than four pounds. Accor- ding to sources at Dell, the unit is 40% thinner than current notebooks, measuring 7 3/4" deep, 11" wide and 1.25" high. The system comes with 2 meg of RAM, a 3.5" 1.44 meg portable disk drive and a 60 meg internal hard disk and has DOS 5.0 and Microsoft Windows pre-installed. It's supposed to start shipping next month with prices starting at $2,149. -- ZILOG MAKES MODEM-FAX FIRMWARE Chipmaker Zilog Inc. says it has developed a mixed-signal processor with modem, fax and voice firmware. The Z89120 chip integrates a 16-bit digital signal processor, an 8-bit microcontroller, an analog-to-digital converter and a PWM digital-to-analog converter. Zilog says the chip "allows for host interface and control using the AT command set with voice and fax extensions for the Z8 microcontroller portion of the Z89120." The modulation and demodulation algorithms support full-duplex V.22bis modems with operating speeds of up to 2,400 bps, as well as V.29bis fax with operating speeds of up to 9,600 bps for send and receive functions. -- BOSTON BBS RAIDED The SPA obtained a search warrant this week authorizing a raid by the FBI on 'The Davy Jones Locker', a computer bulletin board system. Federal authorities accuse it of illegally distributing copyright soft- ware to subscribers in 36 states and 11 foreign countries. According to FBI sources, no arrests were made, but several computers and various telecommunications equipment was seized, along with business records. The evidence seized will be used in a continuing investigation to determine whether criminal charges will be brought against indivi- duals involved in the BBS operation. The SPA also has filed a civil suit in federal court charging the BBS operators with copyright infringement and seeking an unspecified amount of compensatory damages. According to the SPA, for a fee of $49 for three months or $99 for one year, Davy Jones Locker gave subscribers access to a special section where they could download copyright software. The SPA described Davy Jones Locker as an international business with paid subscribers in the U.S. and in foreign countries, including Israel, Australia, Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Iraq, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. -- TEACH KIDS COMPUTER ETHICS, GOVERNMENT REPORT URGES A joint report issued by the departmenst of Education and Justice, re- commends that youngsters should be taught computer ethics in schools. This would help discourage youngsters from getting involved in high-tech crime. The report said there is a "critical need" to teach children the responsibilities of using computers and other advanced technology. With computer crime on the rise and costing U.S. citizens between $3 billion and $5 billion annually, the report urged schools to teach younger children key concepts and legal information in ways they would understand, while recommending teenagers be involved in mock trials of technology criminals and taught the basics of intellectual property rights and technology licensing. "Schools have a vital role to play in helping our children understand a rapidly changing, information-rich, technology- dependent world," said Assistant Education Secretary Diane Ravitch. Teaching children ethics -- not just computer ethics -- should be the priority, said Charles Catlett, associate director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications in Champaign, Ill. "If someone is going to do something malicious like put a virus in, you have a bigger problem than teaching them computer ethics. You need to teach them ethics," he said, adding that such instruction could help students realize that illegally copying a $400 word processing program is the same thing as stealing $400 from someone's wallet. *********************************************************************** :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 Announcements (FREE) 1. Product Support for Macintosh Explodes... See.................MAC 2. Democratic Presidential candidate Larry Agran RTC 6/14........PF 3. New Release of PC-MOS -- RTC 6/14 at 21:30 edt................IBMPC 4. SmartPage Nationwide Personal Pager -- ONLY $79 at............OMNI 5. Lunar Eclipse June 14 is a message from the...................STARS 6. ACES of the Pacific Reg:$79.95 -- ONLY $45.47 NOW at.........EXPRESS 7. TSR Trading Card Collectors, Meet David Wise..................TSR 8. Icons and Clip Art and Fonts - Oh MY. Pro support for.........GEOWORKS 9. Contest, PRIZES, in the CyberSpace Cafe, Saturday in the......SFRT 10. Hurricane Season has started and we're ALL sitting ducks in...FLORIDA 11. If you don't want any FREE connect time don't pick this item..BASEBALL 12. Virginia Revolutionary "Publick" Claims......................GENEALOGY 13. FREE SURVEY for Home Office & Small Business Owners...........HOSB 14. Lessons from pros in the ancient art of......................ASTROLOGY 15. CompuAdd's notebook computers found undesireable on...........LAPTOPS Atari ST RT - "Of Interest" ***************** Flash 2 Realtime Conference ***************** Missionware Software's John Trautschold Wednesday, June 17, 1992 @ 10:00pm Eastern Missionware Software's John Trautschold will be our special guest in The Flash 2 Realtime Conference. Here is your chance to find out all about the next generation of the venerable and popular terminal program, Flash. Type M475;2 to get there. *************************************************************** 2nd Annual Milwaukee AtariFest sponsored by M.A.S.T. Sunday, June 14 from 10am to 5pm Bowlero Red Carpet Lanes in Wauwatosa, WI For more information, see Category 11, Topic 15. Be sure to drop by the GEnie booth and introduce yourself! **************** Silhouette DEMOS from Maxwell CPU ***************** Maxwell CPU has uploaded two new demos of Silhouette, version 1.37. The ST version is file #24384, and the TT version is file #24386. There is also a press release, SIL_137.INF, in Library #14. ******************************************************************** ISD is proud to announce the Winners of the 2nd Annual Calamus Family Creativity and Design Contest. Read all the details in ASCII file #24477 in the ISD Library #30. The top 10 winning entries are now available for downloading as well. SEArch by Contest, uploader ISD and ENJOY!! GEnie Information copyright (C) 1991 by General Electric Information Services/GEnie, reprinted by permission *********************************************************************** > The Flip Side STR Feature """"""""""""""""""""""""" A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT ================================== by Michael Lee I made a mistake last week when I told you I'd have more from CIS in this week's column. I forgot my vacation starts this week and I wouldn't have the time to put anything together. So when I get back from my vacation, I'll start back up with the posts from CIS. Have a good and safe summer. ---------------- I'll see you again in a few weeks..... *********************************************************************** IMPORTANT NOTICE! ================= STReport International Online Magazine is available every week in the ST Advantage on DELPHI. STReport readers are invited to join DELPHI and become a part of the friendly community of Atari enthusiasts there. SIGNING UP WITH DELPHI ====================== Using a personal computer and modem, members worldwide access DELPHI services via a local phone call JOIN -- DELPHI -------------- Via modem, dial up DELPHI at 1-800-695-4002 then... When connected, press RETURN once or twice and... At Password: type STREPORT and press RETURN. DELPHI's Basic Plan offers access for only $6.00 per hour, for any baud rate. The $5.95 monthly fee includes your first hour online. If you spend more than 200 minutes online a month, you'll save money by enrolling in DELPHI's optional 20/20 Advantage Plan. You'll enjoy up to 20 hours online each month for the ridiculously low price of just $20.00! And if you go over that 20 hours, the rate goes up to only $1.20, still 1/5th the price of other services. There is no signup fee for joining the Basic Plan. There is a fee of $39 when you join the 20/20 Advantage Plan, a one-time $19 signup fee and your first month's $20 fee. These connect rates apply for access via Tymnet or SprintNet (within the continental United States) during home time (7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays and all day weekends) or via direct dial around the clock. Telecom surcharges apply for daytime or international access via Tymnet or SprintNet. See Using DELPHI online for detailed information on telecom surcharges. For more information, call: DELPHI Member Services at 1-800-544-4005 DELPHI is a service of General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Mass. :IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: DELPHI INTRODUCES THE 10/4 PLAN. Effective July 1, 1992, all Basic Plan members will be upgraded to the 10/4 Plan and receive 4 hours of usage each month for only $10! For full details, type GO USING RATES. SprintNet home time to begin at 6:00 p.m.! Effective July 1, 1992, you may access DELPHI via SprintNet beginning at 6:00 p.m. local time without incurring a telecom surcharge. To find the SprintNet node nearest you, type GO USING ACCESS. DELPHI- It's getting better all the time! *********************************************************************** > The UNTOLD Story! STR Spotlight PITTSBURGH.... Finally, the TRUTH! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" THE UNTOLD STORY OF PITTSBURGH, PA ================================== by DC Signorini (c) 1991, 1992, 1992 ======= PART IV ======= [This is part 4 of a 6 part story concerning the Atari arena in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. You are encouraged to read all 6 parts in their entirety. If you missed Part I, II, or III, you are encouraged to read these Parts before reading further.] THE AUA COMES TO PITTSBURGH --------------------------- In late 1989, a member of Atari Elite, Joe Muha, approached me about an organization called the "Atari Users Association" or "AUA." He had been in contact with a couple of guys in New Jersey who formed this new nation wide organization and asked me if I felt it was worth while for him to get involved. Of course, I knew that Joe was an eager college student and that he would give his best for that group. I offered my help if he needed it, and Joe was appointed Public Relations Director of the AUA. A few months went on, and apparently the founder of the AUA ran into some problems. Joe told me of the situation and I suggested that if the fellow needed to get help that the Atari Elite would be willing to take over his efforts. Joe relayed this message to the New Jersey people and they agreed. I had the task of convincing the Atari Elite that this venture was worthwhile. AUA was 200 members strong and Elite could grow rapidly. I made this decision without consulting the board because I was pressed for time and the Atari Elite board did not meet for another 2 weeks. I got the ball rolling and Joe had the AUA founder send the AUA membership listing. At that time, AUA had not benefits. It was free to join, but you got nothing in return. AUA was small, but the concept was great. I decided that it would be good to keep a free membership level, but to also add a newsletter for contributing members. I did a lot of research and thinking to present the AUA to the Atari Elite board of directors and wanted to make sure that they liked what they saw since I had already committed the group! The meeting night came and I had my chance in the spotlight. I explained the benefits of running a group like AUA to the board, and they seemed to agree with me. The only drawback was that they felt that AUA was a ton of extra work that would not easily be done with the manpower they had. I agreed to take full responsibility of the AUA on my shoulders with no involvement from the Atari Elite at all. In exchange, the Atari Elite would help fund my start up costs and would provide the AUA with the rights to their disk based magazine for distribution to the AUA contributing members. We agreed to all of these terms, and the AUA/Atari Elite venture was born. This was the relationship of the Atari Elite with the AUA. Little did I know at the time that the AUA's association with Atari Elite would be like an albatross. No matter what I did, the "reputation" of the Atari Elite clouded my efforts. I placed a call to Bob Brodie of Atari and the call was not very promising. He said that "several people" had called him complaining about the AUA's affiliation with Atari Elite. He could not elaborate on who these people were except for the fact that they were from the east coast. I called Ron Kovacs of Znet Magazine and he told me that he too was concerned that the AUA was involved with a group like the Atari Elite. I attempted to convince both Bob and Ron that the rumors they had heard about the Atari Elite were false and that the AUA was a free standing organization. It was in fact free standing in almost every respect. I ran it. No one from Atari Elite was involved. The only affiliation the two groups had was my involvement in both. When I represented the AUA, I did so with complete dedication to AUA. When I was with Atari Elite and did work for them, I did so in the same professional manor, not interlinking the two. But there were those, like Bob and Ron who could not see this because they were being fed stories that were intended to damage the Atari Elite and the Atari Users Association. They could not understand that I was "Derek Signorini of AUA" not "of Atari Elite/AUA." The two were separate ventures of my time and could not be assumed to be intertwined. Yet I faced an unsurmountable chore. I had to prove that the AUA was a free standing organization and that it was one to be respected for its shear size potential. That was all that I asked at that time, and to this day, even though AUA has proven that it is not affiliated with anyone, respect is all that I ask for. Our relationship with Bob Brodie has improved drastically over the past 2 years. While he may not always have time to spend with us on the phone or at shows, we understand that he is at times facing a ridiculous workload. But I still know that we have not really earned the respect of some people. We continue to strive for perfection in all that the AUA does and will struggle on with what little manpower we have. THE BATTLE TO END ALL BATTLES ----------------------------- The 1990 PACE show, held at the Chartiers Valley High School cafeteria in April 1990 was perhaps the final blow that the Pittsburgh area would face. It is, in my eyes, the straw that broke the camel's back. What began as a possible conspiracy against the Atari Elite years previous, blew up in the face of it's perpetrators. The Atari Users Association purchased a booth for the show for $25.00 from PACE. We were permitted to display provided that no mention of the Atari Elite be made. I told Bruce Markey, president of PACE, that is not a problem since the AUA was not affiliated with Atari Elite. Bruce went on to say in a telephone conversation that he would appreciate it if the AUA would give the Atari Elite any mailing address information we gained from the show to keep the Atari Elite quit and satisfied. He knew of the fuss that Atari Elite put on before the 1989 show, and did not want a repeat performance. He felt that if the Atari Elite got what they wanted, a mailing list, then they would keep quite. I agreed to give them my mailing list as per his request. I did inform Bruce that the Disk Magazine that we would be distributing was the Atari Elite's publication (we bought the rights to it). He stated that as long as the outside label did not mention Atari Elite, or that the disk not be booted at the show, that he saw no reason for concern. Tony Parry and I would be tending to the booth. We had 1500 flyers printed and 200 copies of the disk with us and we expected this first public appearance of the AUA to go very well. We had several pieces of software donated to us to raffle and had a very nice ST display set up. While we were busy meeting people and promoting the AUA, Pittsburgh was receiving a thrashing like none other. You see, rumors of piracy were running rampant. Vendors were complaining of slow sales and low attendance and developers felt that there was something wrong with this city. One story was that someone bought a piece of software only to return to the booth of purchase 15 minutes later to say "a friend told me where I can download this for free..." Tony and I were completely unaware of what was going on. Saturday went well, and sunday drew to a close. As we were tearing down our booth, Phil H., a friend and member of PACE came to me and said, "I think you should come with me....just come on." I told Tony that I would be back and followed Phil to the coffee room where there were several developers seated around the room in a closed meeting. Bob Brodie was there, as well as Nathan Potechin, Darlah Potechin, Ralph Mariano, Rick Flashman, Charles Johnson, and a few others as well as a few PACE board members whose names I will not mention. I sat down, uncomfortably, and was informed of the nature of this impromptu meeting. It appeared as though the piracy was so bad that the show was a complete disaster. The PACE board members blamed the Atari Elite's rental of software as the reason for the problems in Pittsburgh. Questions were directed to me as to what the Atari Elite was up to, as well as the relationship between Elite and the AUA. I first began by explaining the exact relationship they were questioning. AUA was not affiliated except by newsletter with Atari Elite. I was asked how I could be a member of an organization that is suspected of heavy piracy and software rental as well as a virgin organization such as AUA. I explained that what I do with AUA is completely separate from Atari Elite and that I had been searching for alternatives for the Atari Elite's software library. The PACE board members insisted that the Atari Elite's membership was over 300 and that Atari Elite was "crushing" the PACE organization. I flatly denied that membership number and informed them that I was at one time in charge of the Atari Elite membership database and could easily confirm that figure. The PACE board members were shocked to hear that the numbers they had been hearing for so long were fictitious. Next, they insisted that the Atari Elite was making "thousands of dollars" per month on software rental. I countered that they may have pulled about twenty or thirty a month in rental fees -- if that -- and that the library was on its "last leg." So the discussion turned to how Atari and developers could combat this problem in Pittsburgh. PACE insisted that many of the attenders were Atari Elite members. Of the 75 or 80 members of the Atari Elite at that time, I saw only 3 or 4. PACE insisted that software rental killed the Atari ST in Pittsburgh. I knew the exact figures on rentals and could flatly deny that insistence. PACE insisted that the Atari Elite BBS was a pirate BBS. I offered to Bob Brodie, for his use, my password to the BBS so that he could see for himself that not one piece of commercial software was present. Nonetheless, I was still asked to choose between AUA and Atari Elite and to resign from Atari Elite immediately if "I expected the Atari Users Association to survive." I was told that I would be backed if I helped them get to the bottom of the problem. Sometime during all of this bickering, Tony walked into the meeting and took a seat next to me. He remained silent during the entire conversation since he was not a member of Atari Elite and knew nothing of the group. Instead, he remained quiet and took mental notes. After the meeting, Tony said that "something did not feel right." As he sat in the meeting, he felt that many of the questions and accusations he heard were "seeded" as if it was rehearsed. Tony has always been a "people" person and has had a great deal of experience marketing software and computer products and I respect his intuition. He felt uncomfortable with the situation and at that time stated, "Pittsburgh was set up. The Atari Elite was set up." Was this the case? Pittsburgh had always been a "black hole" for Atari as far as marketing and dealers. Could it be that Atari was looking for an excuse for their marketing failure in the area and that PACE had provided them with enough gossip to point the finger at Atari Elite? While no one will ever know, this writer is very curious. After the show, tempers flared on the FIDO network. Shouting and screaming took place on national echoes as well as on GEnie. Fingers were pointed and the Atari Elite was made to look like the bad guy. But what people were not seeing was the fact that many were misinformed to begin with and had been given false reason to believe that the Pittsburgh area was overrun with pirates. This pre-conceived prejudice resulted with the Atari Elite being blamed for all of the problems in the city when this is probably furthest from the truth. Magazines had in-depth coverage of the events that took place, and lawsuits prevailed as a result. Things got very ugly very fast and the Atari Elite was left on a highway to nowhere. People insisted that the Atari Elite be disbanded immediately. Others wanted FBI investigations to begin. What we began to see more and more was the fact that PACE did not promote the show as heavily as they said they did. You see, they told Atari that they spent X amount of dollars on advertising for the show to draw a good number of people. Rumor has it that they had a very small add in the local paper only weeks before the show. I have no actual facts in this matter and am only relaying what I was told by third parties. What was deemed to be an "east coast extravaganza" resulted in a show held in a high school cafeteria with tables covered in hospital sheets instead of customary table skirts and dressings. Yet by the time that all of this information began to disseminate through the channels, no one wanted to speak of it. Pittsburgh had already been swept under the rug and it was a closed case. Why was a company such as RiteWay permitted to hold a booth at the show when they advertise a software rental library while the Atari Elite, the largest ST group in the area was banned due to their library? Why is this city a taboo subject? Who was trying to hide what and why? Why can't two groups in a city put their differences behind them and join to form a good alliance? I don't have the answers to these questions and if I did, I would certainly let you in on it. I am disappointed with the way Atari handled the situation. Instead of asking Atari Elite directly, or coming out to see them, they formed a biased opinion fed by false information. If they had simply taken the time to get answers for themselves, the city would be in much better shape than the current. ==================================================================== Permission to Re-Print is granted as long as no part of this work is changed in any way and credit is given to the Author and the AUA. ==================================================================== Conf : STReport Online Msg# : 20574/20574 Lines: 13 Read: 1 Sent : Jun 10, 1992 at 10:09 PM Recv : Jun 12, 1992 To : Ralph Mariano From : Dc Signorini at Fnet Node 19, AutoBoss~Bunola,Pa~Fido129/96 Subj : Latest STR Ralph, A few comments on the latest STR, STReport 8.23: Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! If there is anything that you or your readers would like to ask me "to prove my credibility" as Mr. Biblinski (sp) put it, I am available here on your conference. As always, keep up the fine work. You are truly one in a million! Derek C. Signorini (ex-atari user and stock holder....<grin>) Editor Note; Derek, We'll present the entire story and if asked, equally provide as much background material as needed. From the very beginning to the lawsuits and the "holding of WAACE'90 hostage" to the "infamous conference call" and the current blacklist games. Its time the users knew the underlying causes of the unrest. Ralph @ STReport International Online Magazine ___________________________________________________________ > Blue Ridge Fest! STR SHOW NEWS Summer Fun with Atari! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" BLUE RIDGE ATARIFEST '92 ======================== Press Release - June 13, 1992 FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION The Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusiasts (BRACE) and Computer STudio invite you to participate in the third annual Blue Ridge AtariFest on Saturday, July 18, 1992. The show will take place in the Courtyard Shop area of Westgate Shopping Center in Asheville, North Carolina (Home of Computer STudio). Exhibitor's who have already made a committment to attend include (Alphabetical Listing): Accusoft-ST (Michael Cooper) ................ PD/Shareware Software Atari Computer Corporation (Mike Groh) ...... ABC Solutions (Peter Zalesak) ............... Publisher ST2, First Word, First Graph, tbxCAD, Kuma's KSpread4/Lite Clear Thinking (Craig Harvey) ............... EdHak CodeHead Software (John Eidsvoog) ........... Midi Spy, TOS Extension Card, Megapaint II Pro, Hotwire, G+Plus, LookIt/PopIt, etc. Computer STudio ............................. Visit a 'real' Atari Dealership in the mall DSA (Robert Dytmire & David Munsie) ......... GP Graphics Engine - New product unveiling! Goldleaf Publishing (John Fox) .............. Wordflair II, Didot, Retouche, Sherlook, etc. KAUG (Knoxville Atari Users Group) .......... P/D Library Disks KAUG (Seminar by Erik White) ................ "Beginning MIDI" Lexicor Software (John Cole) ................ Desktop Video Software Reed Mountain Press (Don Terp) .............. Desktop Publishing Seminar Software Development Systems (Scott Sanders). NewDesk Icon Editor CPX, Printer Utilities Pak ST Report/ABCO Computer (Ralph Mariano) ..... Seminar on current events in the Atari marketplace. Step Ahead Software (Nevin Shalit) .......... Tracker ST (Nevin is Current IAAD Pres.) Twilight Zone Software (Wayne Watson) ....... Transcendence BBS software. Willard Productions (Clifton Willard) ....... Professional Desktop Video WorldComm (Ralph Roberts) ................... Author of several computer books incl. "Computer Viruses" and hint books Several additional Atari developers have also expressed an interest in the show but have not yet made their committment. The list is obviously still growing! For additional information, please contact: Sheldon Winick Cliff Allen, Show Coord. GEnie: S.WINICK GEnie: C.ALLEN17 Computer STudio Internet: CALLEN@UNCA.EDU Westgate Shopping Center phone: (704) 258-3758 40 Westgate Parkway - Suite D Asheville, NC 28806 (704) 251-0201 _______________________________________________________ > STraight FAX STR Review Just the FAX man, ....just the FAX! """"""""""""""""""""""" 'STraight Fax' ============== Program..........: STraight Fax Developer........: Joppa Software Development Cost.............: $89.95 Compatibility....: ST/STe/TT Version..........: 1.0 USA by Kevin-john Conway Preamble As an automation consultant and someone who will once again be looking for work in the next few months, I send a lot of faxes. I also receive a few. It was, then, with some interest that I saw that Joppa Software Development were showing their new STraight Fax software at the Toronto Atari Convention and Exhibition (ACE) '92. Since getting the 'STraight Fax' software and my fax-modem, I have played around a great deal with and have come to love the software. Features -------- Some of the features of the 'STraight Fax' software include: * Manages up to 255 pages in a fax transmission, and 100 numbers in a phone list. In addition, up to 30 multiple page, multiple destination faxes may be sent. * Ability to send multiple degas, fax, img, or text files and ability to send a cover page only. * Support for fax send and receive modems from 2400 to 14400 baud. * Provides Class 3 fax-modem compatibility via software. * Printer drivers for Pagestream 1.8, 2.1 and Calamus 1.09 S or SL as well as for GDOS-based applications. These allow fax pages to be generated directly from these applications. * Support for scanners. Requirements ------------ The 'STraight Fax' requires the following: * ST/STe/TT * Hard drive recommended * Two (2) (or more) megabytes of ram recommended. * Class 2 send/receive fax-modem. Must use Rockwell chips. (Zoom and Supra fax-modems are recommended.) * Printer. Requires a compatible GDOS printer driver to print received or generated faxes. Ease of Use ----------- The 'STraight Fax' software is generally quite easy to use, offering the user the option of function keys, mouse or keyboard equivalents in most cases. Gem windows and alert boxes are snappy and, for the most part, well placed on the screen. The principle of the 'STraight Fax' software is fairly simple. The user simply has to create a file to be faxed, select it and select the destination phone number. The software will convert it to a fax format it is not already a fax file, dial the phone number and handle the transmission of the pages. A fax transmission can consist of multiple files. 'STraight Fax' supports the degas and img picture formats, ascii text files as well as its own fax files. A fax transmission can con- sist of any combination of 30 of these. Scheduling a fax transmission is also very easy. When either sending a single page fax or a multiple page fax, the user is presented with a phone list from which they select the numbers they wish to send the transmission to. The box that allows scheduling appears on the right hand side of the screen. The user is able to set the time of transmission with a simple in- crease/decrease arrow box. Faxes can only be scheduled for the 24 hours previous or following the current time. Scheduling a multiple file transmission sets the transmission time for all of the phone numbers in the selected set. It is not possible to set individual transmission times for individual numbers to take advantage of reduced long-distance rates, for example. Fortunately the user can save selected files in a mul- tiple file transmission as a set. They can then load this set in the multiple file transmission dialogue screen and set the scheduled time as necessary. The 'STraight Fax' software will let the user take advantage of special long-distance dialing services by creating dialing macros to access these. In addition, the user can imbed characters in the phone number, e.g. '1-800-55"A"-"TARI". Printing FAX files ------------------ One of the most powerful and useful features of the 'STraight Fax' software is the ability to use its printer drivers to print 'fax files' directly to disk. ('Fax files' are essentially image or graphic files that the software uses to handle transmission of faxes.) Since the software supports GDOS applications, I dusted off my copy of Microsoft Write that was included with my original 1040STf and booted it up. After some experimentation with the ASSIGN.SYS configuration file and the FSMGDOS.SYS driver, I had achieved some results. Results often seem to be a strange translation of the in- tended into the possible. This holds true for the 'STraight Fax' FSMGDOS driver as it shrinks the output text by at least 30%. In short, what you seem on the screen is not what you get in the fax file nor is it what you would print out. The reason for this shrinkage in the outputted text seems to get rid of the jagged edges that GDOS output tends to have. Irregardless, once I discovered this, I was able to get some fairly decent results. My primary purpose in purchasing the 'STraight Fax' software was to be able to generate r sum s and covering letters that have degree of style and sophistication but without the cost of laser printing and faxing at a printing shop. With the many fonts that GDOS offers and the special effects of Microsoft Write, I have managed to create an attractive and effective r sum that can be sent with the immediacy of the fax. In addition, I now have control over my own faxes and the have greatly reduced the time and money I spent in sending them. I expect that the 'STraight Fax' and fax-modem will soon pay for themselves. Documentation ------------- The manual is quite well written and has a great deal of useful information including a general description of faxes and how fax-modem software works. It has a comprehensive Table of Contents, but unfortunately lacks an index. The typeface is clear and easily read. Bolding and italics are used for empha- sis and for headings. Sample screens are given for every popup screen. Each of these contains a illustrative example. Other useful information is given on how to use Menu Titles, Text Editing key combinations and Sliders as well as Function Keys and other user interfaces. Additionally, context-sensitive help can be accessed within in each popup window when using the program. Bugs and Problems ----------------- On occasion, the file selector box is called up to allow the user to select a cover page or header file. When this hap- pens, the user finds two sets of 'Ok' and 'Cancel' buttons on the screen. I found this confusing and disconcerting at first, but got use to it, although my eye is till drawn away from the file selector box to the originally displayed selector boxes. I found the software quite reasonably intuitive, however, I did have some teething pains getting the software up and running. Since I have a Mega STe with Tos 2.05, I needed to run the 'SERPTCH2.PRG' program to fix some problems with RTS/CTS on the modem port. This is not mentioned until well into the manual, and only in passing. It is only mentioned in passing in the 'README.TXT' file. Without the 'SERPTCH2.PRG' program, the modem does not initialize properly, if at all. With this patch program, the modem works flawlessly. The manual also passes over the installation of the GDOS driver somewhat rapidly. It assumes that the user is using the GDOS printer selector or the FSMGDOS system, which is not always the case. In addition, the manual makes no mention that the included 'DRIVPATH.PRG' program must be run in order to point the outputted files to the correct subdirectories. If not already installed, installation of the GDOS driver may require some degree of techie knowledge. The manual does include a 'installation' section in which I would have expected to find information about these two problems I had. Unfortunately, this part of the manual focuses on the registration of the program and the installation onto the hard drive. In does not attempt to cover the sort of problems I encountered save to refer the user to README.TXT file. There are some other minor bugs: -------------------------------- 1. Multiple fax files can not be sent. They have to be degas, txt or img. 2. The scheduler will not resend fax files. Same rules as above. 3. Some fax files, either received or generated, do not print correctly. They only print as a page of grey fuzz, although they can be viewed without problems. Pagestream was able to print these, once converted to img format, but TimeWorks DTP couldn't. Adding two megs of memory to bring my machine to a total of 4 megs of memory didn't help either. None of these bugs greatly affect the use of the program, nor do they affect data storage. They are easily worked around. Recommendations --------------- The 'STraight Fax' software is easy to use, well-priced and well supported. It has added further power to my STe as an office computer system. I heartily recommend to anyone who needs to send or receive a significant number of faxes. In the long run, it is far cheaper than having a fax machine, and far more flexible. Copyright 1992 by Bibliomaniac Library Consultancy Kevin-john Conway, President Permission to requote in part or in full freely given provided this copyright notice appears Editor Note; We have it on good authority that "Straight Fax" will accomodate Class 1 Fax/modems very shortly. Version 1.03+ This is good stuff! _________________________________________________________ > STR Portfolio News & Information Keeping up to date... """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" THE ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM """"""""""""""""""""""""" On CompuServe! by Judith Hamner 72257,271 Due to popular demand BJ Gleason has uploaded a new file containing the Pbasic interpreter only. PBASIC.EXE contains only the interpreter. Those who want the entire Pbasic package should download PBASIC.ZIP which contains the documentation, utilities and sample programs along with the interpreter. FILES.ZIP contains a zipped version of the complete list of files in the Portfolio forum libraries. The listing is alphabetical. FILES.TXT contains the same information in plain text format. CISTRK.WKS is a spreadsheet template that can be used to keep track of your CIS time and the associated costs. B&P.TXT contains a translation of the brochures and pricelists from the German company Becker & Partner. They have many advanced accessories for the Portfolio. Translated by Gerd Arnold. Don and Carl from Atari have shared a testimonial letter they received from a lumber company that uses the Portfolio. See MICHCA.TXT. This reporter will be on vacation for the next two weeks. Look for a deluxe catch-up forum report in July. ________________________________________________________ > Ya Done Good! STR Spotlight A tough number for sure! """"""""""""""""""""""""""" PORTFOLIO EARNS ITS STRIPES! ============================ Reprint of letter received 06/05/92 Uploaded by Atari Inc. Courtesy CIS Michigan-California Lumber Company Camino, California May 27, 1992 Atari Corporation Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Attn: Customer Support Dear Atari folks: Enclosed is our broken Portfolio and a check for a new Portfolio. I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how useful the Portfolio has been in our operations. Michigan-California Lumber Company is a lumber sawmill and owner of 75,000 acres of forest land in the Sierra Nevada. Our land management activities include tree harvesting, tree planting and environmental monitoring. The Portfolio has proved to be an excellent tool for data collection in the woods. We use the spreadsheet capability exclusively to input data such as tree planting information, tree survival data, soil erosion monitoring data, tree measurement data and tree harvesting quality control information. As you might imagine, the Portfolio has experienced extremes, rain, snow, and lots of dust. I've even dropped it several times with no apparent harm. Throughout it all, the Portfolio has performed admirably. Our Portfolio met its fate this week when a co-worker was measuring log quality and fell with the Portfolio in hand. As he was instinctively bracing himself, the machine was slammed against a sharp branch thus damaging the LCD screen. To our surprise the machine still worked but had a crack with a much reduced window on the left side of the screen. Once back at the office we were able to upload all the information we had collected for the day and no data was lost as a result of the accident. We have looked at other date recorder computers that are designed specifically for forestry applications and harsh conditions but these machines cost 5 times as much, are heavier and bulkier than the Portfolio. We would like to commend you for producing an inexpensive, durable machine that has been useful even for unintended purposes. We are anxiously awaiting a replacement. Sincerely, C.K. Forester _____________________________________________________________ > MIST UPDATES STR SHOW NEWS "BIG DOIN'S IN THE MIDWEST!" """""""""""""""""""""""""" For immediate release: ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION ATTENTION Due to the unexpected reduction in domestic air fares Mid-Indiana ST has extended the deadline to register as a vendor for MIST Atari Fest IV in Indianapolis, Indiana on July 25, 1992. The new deadline is July 3, 1992. If you were interested in attending MIST Atari Fest IV, but the cost of air fare to Indianapolis was keeping you from committing, then now is you chance to participate in "one of the best one day shows in the nation". MIST will help you keep costs low by only charging $50.00 for a single booth, providing special hotel accommodations at just $55.00 per night, and by providing transportation to and from the airport. Contact Dan Ward at (317) 254-0031 or on GEnie at D.WARD10 to receive a registration packet and to reserve a booth at MIST Atari Fest IV. MIST Atari Fest IV MIST Atari Fest IV MIST Atari Fest IV All systems are go for MIST Atari Fest IV in Indianapolis on July 25th, 1992! Vendor response has been fantastic and far exceeds last year's interest as of June 1st. The following list represents ALL CONFIRMED vendors who will be attending MIST Atari Fest IV. Bob Brodie (Atari Corp.) Branch Always Software (GEMulator) Clear Thinking (EdHak) Codehead Technologies (Calligrapher, Warp 9, TEC) D.A. Brumleve (Kid Progs) Electronic Spinster Graphics (clip art) ICD (power peripherals) INAGM (Atari sales and service) Mars Merchandising (Atari ET, Lynx, 8-bit software) Maxwell CPU (Silhouette and a BRAND NEW product) Megatype (fonts) Missionware Software (Flash II) MP Graphics Systems (consulting) MS Designs (fonts and clip art) Rising Star (software) User Groups: ASCII BLAST Cin'tari LCACE STAR Others who have expressed an interest in MIST Atari Fest IV but have not confirmed are: Gribnif Joppa Computer Lexicor Software Paul's Computer Service Step Ahead Software Synergy Resources MIST Atari Fest IV promises to be another success, with some new, special twists to make your visit to Indianapolis more fun, enjoyable, and profitable. Exhibitors (upon request) be will driven to and from Indianapolis International Airport and their hotel rooms. Vendors will receive a 3.5" disk containing a listing of all attendees and prize winners. All vendors are invited to a post-event dinner the evening of the show. MIST will also provide someone to watch your booth so you can take a break from counting all that money and go to the bathroom, get something to eat, or just wander around the floor. The first 250 individuals through the doors will receive a free 3.5" Maxell SSDD diskette containing text, data, and picture files promoting the Atari community in central Indiana. A special priced "MIST User Group Membership" will be offered to all individuals. Several new and different seminars, geared toward "Joe User" are being planned. Lynx and MIDI Tournaments will be offered with prizes to the top players. Several styles of "unique" limited edition T-shirts will be for sale (there's one we really think you'll like). And as usual, a spectacular assortment of raffle prizes will be given away throughout the day. MIST has also contracted with the Quality Inn Castleton Suites to provide single and double rooms at a reduced rate ($55 a night) for the those attending the show. They can be reached at (317) 841-9700. Make sure to mention MIST Atari Fest IV to get the special rate. We will be uploading directions to MIST Atari Fest IV in the next few days, or you can request that directions be sent to you by leaving a message to Dan Ward on GEnie (D.WARD10) or by calling (317) 254-0031. If you have any other questions or concerns feel free to contact Dan about those as well. MIST looks forward to seeing you!!! MIST Atari Fest IV Saturday, July 25, 1992 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Castleway Conference Center 6385 Castleplace Drive Indianapolis, Indiana __________________________________________________________ > FONTGDOS? II STR FOCUS! FONTGDOS CAUSES TEMPERS TO FLARE! """"""""""""""""""""""" FONT GDOS, FRIEND OR FOE? ========================= by John Deegan Mr. Charles F. Johnson's messages from GEnie and Compuserve that were re-printed in STReport 823 contain some flawed statements. One Atari person mentioned "CFJ may have never used Font GDOS." With that thought in mind, I present the following. 1. The Printer Drivers included with FONT GDOS will work with the older GDOS and CodeHead's G+Plus. CodeHead looks at FONT GDOS as a threat to G+Plus, however the FONT GDOS release is more than just a replacement for GDOS.PRG. The new printer drivers also are faster than the original GDOS printer drivers, in that they use the BIOS for sending data to the printer, where the old drivers used GEMDOS. The new drivers are also configurable with the GDOS Printer Configuration CPX. The new drivers support the additional features of FONT GDOS and FSM GDOS, which will not be utilized when using applications under the old GDOS. In the past users paid up to $29.95 for GDOS printer drivers from third party companies. Compare this to the original IBM PC GEM and Windows where a large number of printer drivers are included with the package and many others are available from the manufacturer from online services like Compuserve. FONT GDOS also includes a new driver called MEMORY.SYS that allows applications to build a page in RAM which may then be used for whatever purpose it wants. Atari also has a new FSM/FONT GDOS driver builder kit that is available to developers to build third party drivers. 2. The GDOS Printer Selector ACC/CPX does allow the user to change the ASSIGN.SYS and use the new ASSIGN.SYS with out rebooting despite what CFJ says. He is 100% wrong here. The ability to use different ASSIGN.SYS setups is one of the main advantages of G+Plus over Atari GDOS. FONT GDOS and FSM GDOS have this ability, however it is not implemented in the exact same manner as CodeHead's G+Plus. Effectively the GDOS Printer Selector ACC/CPX allows the user to edit the ASSIGN.SYS with out using a text editor, fonts and drivers may be easily added using this utility. The only limitations are that some GDOS applications may open the printer workstation at startup, if this is the case the updated ASSIGN.SYS will not take effect until the program is exited and then restarted. Some poorly designed GDOS applications also allocate almost all of the RAM when they run, if this is the case the CPX/ACC may not be able to operate. However, the CPX/ACC may always be used from the GEM Desktop. The FSM Printer Configuration ACC/CPX allows parameters of a printer driver such as Print Quality (Final/Draft) or Page Size (Letter, Legal, A4, B5 or user defined) to be selected. This allows one driver to take the place of several drivers, i.e. under the old GDOS separate drivers would be needed for letter size and wide carriage printer drivers. The FSM Font Manager ACC/CPX also allows the selection of the scalable fonts for use with FSM GDOS. Again any change is available without the need to reboot. This ACC/CPX is also used to "trick" pre-FSM GDOS applications into believing that the scalable fonts are available as bit mapped fonts at pre-set sizes, this is for compatibility with these applications until they are updated. On another issue about changing the ASSIGN.SYS setup: Many original GDOS applications completely missed the boat in this area. Some newer GDOS applications such as Timework's Publisher 2 now support the ability to define multiple printer driver/font setups in a single ASSIGN.SYS file -- a feature that has been in GDOS since day one. GDOS uses device numbers for drivers. Devices 1 to 10 are reserved for the screen. Devices 21 through 30 are reserved for printers. Most applications assume that the printer is device 21. It is possible to have up to 10 different drivers and font sets in a single ASSIGN.SYS file using device numbers 21 through 30. The application can then let the user choose which device number to print to as the default printer device - without leaving the application or re-booting the system! 3. Some discount the value of the Font Cache in FONT GDOS. This cache needs to only be as large as the largest bit mapped font that will ever be used. The system will never be unable to load a font due to memory limitations as the old GDOS is restricted to. 4. FONT GDOS does not slow down the system as CFJ suggests. Again this is an area of competition for G+Plus. An improper setup of FONT GDOS _may_ slow down the system a bit and the Font Cache will load fonts as needed and this may cause what appears as a slow down. 5. The FONT GDOS that was distributed on GEnie was missing some integral components that made it difficult to setup properly. This is not the fault of the designers of FONT GDOS, but is a problem in how it was distributed. There is an install program that was omitted from the distribution that would have made things a whole lot easier. In addition, bit mapped fonts were not provided due to licensing problems (i.e. Swiss and Dutch fonts at the various point sizes for the various printers). I also seriously doubt that Atari would have not tested FONT GDOS with the available GDOS applications (which probably number less than 20 serious GDOS applications). 6. Please do not discount the value of the Bezier Curve features of FONT GDOS. This is something users have long asked for: i.e.. The ability to use PC GEM/3 Metafiles (.GEM files) that contain Bezier Curves. The word from Bob Brodie of Atari (in response to CFJ's comments) were: "That's incorrect info. You can reload drivers on the fly. And according to Leonard Tramiel (whom I personally showed CFJ's comments to) part of the problem is that Warp 9 breaks the rules. <shrug> One of the features of FontGDOS is that it uses font caching, which means a user could have lot of fonts, with very little ram. The cache is designed so that if it is full, and it needs another font, it throws out what is in the cache, and loads the font(s) that it needs." Editor Note: Warp 9 ver. 3.60 works fine with the NEW Gdos ensembles. _________________________________________________________ > MIGRAPH'S OCR STR Review OCR (Optical Character Recognition) """""""""""""""""""""""" OCR (OPTICAL CHARACTER RECOGNITION) =================================== MiGraph Inc. review Version 1.09b by Doyle Helms Software Editor @ ST Report OCR, what is it? Well, I will allow the OCR program to answer that for itself. The following text is a direct result of an OCR scan of the definition of OCR from the MiGraph manual itself... OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, a process whereby printed text is electronically converted into computer readable files i.e. an Ascii file. Rather than typing text into the computer by hand, an optical scanner is used to scan the text. The scanner's job is to convert the image into a map of black and white dots (pixels) that represent the original image. When scanned text appears on your monitor screen, an "A" looks like an "A", but to the computer it is just a series of black pixels grouped together. OCR software is the vital link that identifies the group of pixels as a particular character. In a simplistic view,the program basically says,this is an "a", this is a "b" and so on. Previously, OCR programs were raster based. This meant that the program relied upon a database of stored pixel images to identify the scanned text. Unfortunately, if the scanned character did not exactly match the size and shape of a character in the database, it was not recognized. The next step in OCR was trainable OCR. With a trainable program,when an unrecognized character appeared, you could correctly identify the character for the program and thereby "train" it to recognize the character in the future. Depending on the quality of the OCR program though, you might have to train a program on a character 5, 10, 15 times or more before it would recognize the character automatically. Then came Omnifont technology. Omnifont technology uses a mathematical definition to identify the characters instead of a raster image. Not only does it identify characters quicker and with a higher accuracy rate, but the program itself can be considerably smaller in size. Using mathematical definitions also means that the program has a greater chance of recognizing similar typefaces, even though it may not have been trained on them." The above example of MiGraph's OCR application was created and merged into this article in about the same amount of time it would have taken this author to type about half of the same text. My fingers are thankful, my eyes are thankful and I spent less frustration getting the same amount of info across to you. Let me not mislead you in that all I had to do was pull my scanner across a page and wham-o, there it was. There are a couple of steps involved in order to achieve satisfactory results. I will delve into those shortly. Let me first give you a brief run down of what you receive when you purchase OCR from MiGraph. Migraph comes to the user on three (3) double-sided floppies and are not copy-protected. Thank you MiGraph! The MASTER disk contains an INSTALLATION program that will expedite the installation of the program and associated data files on your hard drive. This INSTALLATION program in not an absolute must use, whereas the user can install the program ALMOST as easily without using INSTALL.PRG. Really, it is your choice. I recommend the INSTALL.PRG for error-free-sake the first time you place OCR on your system. System requirements are at least 2 megabytes and a hardisk. OCR uses harddrive caching, for processing files larger than memory available, so a floppy drive would be almost useless as far as speed and size are concerned. MiGraph OCR package comes with 26 pre-trained typefaces and is easily trainable on others as well. These type faces include; Artisan, Bookman, Brougham, Caroll Pica, Courier, Courier Italic, Delegate, Elite Modern, Helvetica, Herald Elite, Letter Gothic, Lori, Lubalin, OCRB, Pica, Prestige Elite, Prestige Italic, Prestige Pica, Times, Titan, and Title. (NOTE: I cheated on the font name entries, I used OCR to bring them over to this article. Using an OCR while word processing gets to be habit forming. Lets take a look at the user interface. MiGraph is well known for their clean and intuitive GEM interfaces. I have not had the pleasure of meeting Liz, Kevin or Brien face to face, but I would suspect they have a menu bar across their forehead and an icon pad down the right side of their face. MiGraph has upheld their reputation for solid, functional and easy to understand GEM interfaces with OCR. The program is simple to operate and contains your choice of drop-down menus, icon pad or keystroke selections for the most used operations. The OCR program, when executed and on-screen looks very similar to Touch-Up. With OCR, the icon choices (left side of the screen) are not as many in number as Touch-Up though. The Icon pad selections include: Control Panel, Zoom Size, Text icon, Clip boxes (2), Point mode icon, Graphic zone and the most important-OCR icon. Keystrokes are allowed for most all of these icons. The drop-down menus includes a few extra options such as ROTATE, LOAD FILE, SAVE REGION, DEFAULT SETTINGS, LOAD (DEFAULT SETTINGS), SAVE (DEFAULT SETTINGS), SAVE AS... (save default under an alternate name), CURRENT, QUIT, SETTINGS, CLIP (UNDO, DELETE, SELECT ALL, SORT ORDER, ERASE GRAPHIC and TEXT REGIONS), INVERT, FLIP and SHOW ORDER. The user is given two choices for data input for the OCR process. The first choice is the file (graphic) import. The choice of file types are either the "standard" .IMG format or the more common .TIFF format. The user can use his/her favorite scanning software (or merging software) and save the data as either of the two file formats. The data can then be imported into OCR and processed. The other data entry option is the "recommended" method, scanning directly into OCR with your scanner. The user is given the option of either scanning with PORTRAIT or LANDSCAPE mode. The PORTRAIT mode is more useful if you are using a flatbed scanner. The PORTRAIT mode is also handy with the hand scanner if you are scanning columns. Hand scanners cannot cover the full width of a page. The user would loose data if PORTRAIT mode is used with hand scanning a full width page. So what is a user to do? Well, the user (hand scanner user) can select the LANDSCAPE mode and pull the scanner from left to right across the page. Granted, this will only cover approximately 4 inches of the page, but OCR allows the user to build several "text regions" to construct the page. These "regions" are defined buy the user via the clip area option. The CLIP box options included the basic "box" type and a user defined polygon region. The polygon option allows the user to divert around areas of text or graphics that they do not wish to be included in the finished text output file. Graphic regions can also be defined and saved as either IMG of TIFF format files. These text regions are numbered and can also be sorted to the wishes of the user. The CONTROL PANEL option is where the user sets the parameters of the program such as INPUT. The INPUT option allows the user to choose either a previously scanned file or to use the scanning option in OCR itself. The DOCUMENT portion of the CONTROL PANEL allows the user to choose the dictionary file they wish to use, the language, the option of appending to the chosen dictionary or starting a new one, reading a dictionary (using the info in the dictionary but not modifying the dictionary), the type of text you will be working with (small or normal,pitch of the text, fixed or proportional and whether the INTERACTIVE learning is on). The OUTPUT section of the CONTROL PANEL consists of the format of the finished document (at present only ASCII is supported), the name of the output text (the TEXT OUTPUT can either be selected as NEW or APPEND). The next CONTROL PANEL option allows the user to choose the graphic file format being either TIFF or IMG. The CACHE PATH is also an option for the user to define. Once the choices are defined, the user can then save them in either the DEFAULT settings via the SAVE option in the drop-down menu or use the SAVE AS.. option to define a user named setting. The name of the dictionary, OUTPUT file and other data will be recalled and ready for expeditious OCR work. MiGraph heartily recommends the use of separate "dictionaries" for different documents. This does not mean every time you scan your favorite article from Atari Advantage magazine that you have to create a new dictionary file. Just have one dictionary for all Atari Advantage articles, another for AIM and etc.. Once the CONTROL PANEL is configured to the users desire/needs, the user is ready to dive into the world of OCR. First, the user either loads a previously scanned document or uses the scanning ability incorporated into OCR to import a file for conversion. Let's go thru a quick scan and process operation to give you some idea of the simplicity of the program. The first step involves choosing the document to scan, configuration of the CONTROL PANEL such as scanning DPI, PORTRAIT or LANDSCAPE settings. The next step involves either loading a previously defined dictionary of creating a new one. To create a new dictionary is as simple as clicking NEW in the dictionary selection box. To use a previously defined dictionary simply select the word DICTIONARY and a file selector will appear prompting the user for a dictionary file name. If the user wishes to use a dictionary and not ADD to or modify it you simply select READ. Nothing could be more simple. Next the user selects the type of text they will be scanning (NORMAL or SMALL), the PITCH of the text (FIXED or PROPORTIONAL). The user decides if they are confident enough about the dictionary to allow the program to COMPLETELY process the document without user intervention. This option is called INTERACTIVE LEARNING. The user should ALWAYS use INTERACTIVE LEARNING when processing a document the first time or when processing a document with poor quality text like 2nd or 3rd generation Xerox results. The present version of OCR (1.09b) is relatively bug free. I read thru many message threads on GEnie and Delphi (ST Advantage) concerning users likes and dislikes of the program. I found that up to at least version 1.05 there were MANY problems with OCR on both the ST/e/TT systems. Bugs and crashes galore. The problems soon became evident the memory management by OCR was to blame. Users were reporting that they would only be able to process one document and either the program would report errors or drop back to the desktop. Other problems encountered in the earlier versions varied according to user. I am delighted to announce that with version 1.09b I did not have one single crash, bomb or lock up of any kind. Version 1.09b is SOLID! In the next installment I will give some examples (before editing) of OCR in action. I will explain the character recognition phase and what it is telling the user and how much editing of an average document is required for final-finish quality output. If you need or want to buy OCR from MiGraph there is no reason not to order up now and begin working to happier DTP/word processing future. OCR (1.09b) from Mi-Graph is dependable, easy to use and most of all it WORKS AS ADVERTISED! Till next week... ______________________________________________________________ > ISD CONTEST WINNERS! STR FOCUS! WORTH EVERY BIT OF THE EFFORT! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ISD CONTEST WINNERS ANNOUNCED! ============================== PRESS RELEASE Tuesday, June 8,1992 ISD Marketing, Inc. is proud to announce the winning entries in the 2nd Annual Calamus Family Creativity and Design Contest. To recapitulate; the entries could have been either text, graphics or a combination of both. Submission could and did include; business card designs, logo's, fonts, freehand drawings, posters, illustrations, cartoons and graphical effects just to name a few examples, using any one of the Calamus family of products, including, Calamus, Outline Art, the Font Editor or any combination of the three. This year's contest effectively ran from August 20, 1991 until February 28, 1992 and just about everything that could possibly disrupt proceedings, did so. Murphy reigned supreme in fact. Finally, winners were selected from the files uploaded into our Email address on GEnie at ISD or mailed directly to our offices. The 3 actual judges this year were: Geoffrey Earle, General Manager of Atari (Canada) Corp., Mario Georgiou, ISD's own Art Director and in-house graphic artist extraordinaire and Jesus Diaz, Art Director of Atari Explorer Magazine. As stipulated in the original Rules, although the author retains any copyrights to their entry, all winning files shall be considered 'publicly distributable files' and may be made available for downloading from CompuServe, Delphi and GEnie. As well, the winning entries will be published in Atari Explorer magazine, our official magazine sponsor, with the appropriate Author quoted and the prize won indicated. *** "Art always comments on both its subject and -- reflexively -- on *** its medium." Diaz says. "When art is produced on computer, using a *** sophisticated program such as Outline Art, it always tends to *** reveal something of the computer and the software, as these shape *** the artist's vision." *** "But what surprised us about this years entries" continues Georgiou *** "is how well-integrated the influences of computer and software *** tended to be with the overall process of artistic creation." *** "We think the Atari is a great tool for artists" concludes Geoffrey *** Earle. (Editor's Note: He is certainly biased but I happen to agree *** with his conclusion.) I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you that submitted an entry. This year the entries were truly remarkable in many areas and I am quite proud to have had the pleasure once again, of co-sponsoring this contest. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank John Jainschigg and Atari Explorer, who acted as co-sponsor. Wait until you see the top 5 winners in the upcoming issue. I think you will join with me in congratulating their efforts. AND THE WINNERS ARE............ FIRST PRIZE """"""""""" Winner of $1,500.00 worth of AGFA Compugraphic fonts for use in both Outline Art and Calamus, (compliments of ISD) has been won by Dan Marusich of Absolute Visuals out of Tucson, Arizona. His logo designs are simply first class! SECOND PRIZE """""""""""" Winner of an Atari SLM605 laser printer (compliments of Atari) goes to Rolf Berger of Images Unlimited in Ottawa, Ontario. Some of you might already be familiar with Rolf's Acura and F16. THIRD PRIZE """"""""""" Winner of a complete Calamus SL package (compliments of ISD which I happen to know he already owns so I will replace it with equivalent value in fonts and new Calamus SL modules if he so chooses) goes to a familiar face, Joey (REALM) Sherman, whose "Grog, Bob, and the Almost Oval-Looking Red Thing with No Real Purpose," a personal favorite of mine, can only be described as incredible! In fact, it must be seen to be believed! FOURTH PRIZE """""""""""" Winner of complete font packs compliments of and from both Cherry Fonts and MS Designs, as well as $100.00 connect time usable on either Compuserve, Delphi or GEnie, (compliments of the respective service) has been won by Jamie Todd of Chimera. Jamie and his band, Radio Silence, also use their Atari equipment for music composition and performance. FIFTH PRIZE """"""""""" Also Winner of complete font packs, compliments of and from Ms Designs and Cherry Fonts as well as $100.00 connect time to either Compuserve, Delphi or GEnie, (compliments of the respective service) goes to Steve (T-Shirts are my life) Kaleita for his T-Shirt design, ROBOT. Some of you might be familiar with Steve's entry, in fact, you might even be wearing it. All of the above Winners plus the following 5 entries receive a one year subscription to Atari Explorer Magazine, compliments of Atari Explorer: HONORABLE MENTION: """"""""""""""""" James Tackett's excellent Clipart font, CLIP001.CFN. "Flowers of the Mind" by DON HARRIS. WOW. :-) A stylized glider design by MARTYN PHILLIPS. MICHAEL NILSEN'S entry presents his vision of a city. ROBERT GILLIES submitted an amazing Saxophone Player. I will upload all of the above entries to the online services. In most cases you will require either Calamus 1.09, Calamus SL or a Calamus DEMO version of either to view them. Once again, my thanks to all that submitted entries to this year's contest. Your participation made this contest a great success for the entire Atari community. Nathan Potechin President ISD Marketing, Inc. _______________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL "Rumors Tidbits Predictions Observations Tips" """"""""""""""""""""" - New York City, NY ANNUAL MEETING & REPORT CAUSE STIR ----------------- Hi Fellow Atarians, Sorry but I couldn't make the stockholders' meeting. I got Atari's annual report on Friday, and the annual meeting was slated for the following Tuesday, June 2nd. I couldn't possibly re-arrange my schedule to go on such short notice. I'm really P.O.'ed at their untimely delivery of the meeting notice, and some of the things in their annual report. They only spent $20,000 odd on advertising, which is a paltry sum for a company who's gone public. They also lent six figure amounts to six different employees. I was going to rail about that, too!!! Sheesh! Atari is a computer company, not a lending institution! Well, I'll find some other way of making my views known, and getting this company on track. As promised, here are the names of the individuals to whom Atari lent fairly substantial sums of money including the exact figures. I trust you're sitting down. It's listed under Certain Transactions on the last page of the Notice of Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Name Purpose Amt of Loan Outstanding* ---- ------- ----------- ----------- Samuel W. L. Chin Personal Loan $130,000.- $ 99,000 Steven M. Kawalick House Loan $290,000.- $ 61,000 Richard Miller House Loan $145,000.- $145,000 August J. Liguori Personal Loan $111,000.- $ 76,000 Alwin Stumpf Personal Loan $795,000.- $795,000 All of the loans were made at an interest rate of 7% *as of April 24th, 1991. $20,129,000 was spent for Advertising in 1991. What a drop in the bucket for a company with numerous overseas branches who is competing against IBM and Apple (not to mention Nintendo, Sega etc., in the computer games division)! Seems this lending of company funds has gone on for a while. In the annual report itself are some other lists of loans being made and paid off. Here they are (this is from page 34 of the annual report): Year Ending Dec. 31st, 1989 Name Amt. Owed Int. Rate ---- --------- -------- Robert Gleadow $300,000.- 12% Eli Kenan $151,000.- 12% August Liguori $ 45,000.- 12% Richard Miller $145,000.- 10% (unsecured loan) Gregory A. Pratt $125,000.- 10% Alwin Stumpf $795,000.- 10% & 12% (2 unsecured loans) Paul Welch $115,000.- 12% Year Ending Dec. 31st, 1990 Samuel W.L. Chin $130,000.- 10% (unsecured) Eli Kenan paid back $134,000 & Atari wrote off $17,000. Steven M. Kawalick $290,000.- 10% (unsecured) August Liguori $ 85,000.- (borrowed another $43,000 @ 10% unsecured this year and paid back $3,000.-) Richard Miller Hasn't paid back any of the money he borrowed in 1989, but there are no new loans to him. Gregory A. Pratt $ 10,000.- (hasn't paid back previous loan. New loan is unsecured at 10% interest) Alwin Stumpf Hasn't paid anything on his 1989 loan Paul Welch Hasn't paid anything on his 1989 loan Year Ending Dec. 31st, 1991 Samuel W.L. Chin $ 88,000.- Paid back $42,000 of what he borrowed. Robert Gleadow His note was cancelled & related stock reacquired by the company. Steven M. Kawalick Paid $10,000.- of the $290,000.- he borrowed August Liguori Borrowed another $11,000.- unsecured at 7% and paid back $111,000.- on previous loan. Richard Miller Paid nothing on his loan Gregory A. Pratt Paid $25,000 on his loan and now owes $110,000. Alwin Stumpf Paid nothing on his $795,000 loan Paul Welch His note was cancelled & related stock reacquired by the company Unless otherwise noted, all of the loans were secured. At the bottom of page six of the Notice of Shareholders' Meeting had this note: "In November 1991, the Company repurchased 75,000 options to purchase 75,000 shares of stock from Gregory Pratt, a Director of the Company for $1.00 per share for a total price of $75,000. Mr. Pratt has resigned as a Director and employee of the Company in January 1992, at which time he transferred to the company 63,150 shares. Shares transferred together with the $75,000 were used to repay Mr. Pratt's indebtedness to the Company of approximately $135,000.-" Well, that's the story. This is what they're doing with our money (STOCKHOLDERS). Cute, isn't it! ---Beth Jane Freeman--- ________________________________________________________ > STR Mail Call "...a place for the readers to be heard" """"""""""""" STReport's MailBag """""""""""""""""" From CIS J#: 63700 S8/Hot Topics 05-Jun-92 08:32:54 Sb: #63590-#FONTGDOS games Fm: GST Software 71351,332 To: John Townsend @ Atari 70007,1135 (X) But not for GEM fonts of which GDOS fonts are a subset. In addition the "accepted practice" had started to be ignored (certainly in Europe) and this was pointed out to the Atari companies over here several times before this program was available. In essence the program effectively ignores the contents of the ASSIGN.SYS and is incompatible with the rest of GDOS and FONTGDOS which allow this. Claiming accepted practice is not good enough when that practice has clearly been found wanting as is evidenced by the abandonment of that scheme by several people as more fonts have become available. In addition it is debatable whether the term "accepted practice" really applies or whether the case is rather that until recently most GDOS packages have been supplied with (same) fonts sourced from Atari. It does seem the case that comments made over here about potential problems and shortcomings (or plain bugs) in this product have been ignored or just filed in a (presumably) large pile somewhere. Speaking personally I am becoming rather tired of the farce which FONTGDOS and its bigger brother have become over the last few months. When the version which is publically available over here seems to be less reliable than its previous beta versions - to quote another developer "a strange problem which causes the most recent batch of Font GDOS drivers to crash with any GDOS program (the previous set were OK)". A program which causes a Mega STe to lock up with three bombs when booting if it cannot find a file (extend.sys) has more things to worry about than mere compatibility or speed compared to other GDOS clones - when it prints it does so very quickly, unfortunatly the important word there is 'when'. Tony (not speaking on behalf of GST) From CIS J#: 63738 S8/Hot Topics 05-Jun-92 13:39:42 Sb: #63700-#FONTGDOS games Fm: CodeHead Software 76004,2232 To: GST Software 71351,332 (X) Tony, You're not the only one whose comments have been sent to the "round file." - Speaking personally I am becoming rather tired of the farce which - FONTGDOS and its bigger brother have become over the last few - months. Amen. Just want to point out that FSMGDOS and FONTGDOS have been promised for a lot longer than a few months -- the original release date for FSMGDOS was almost TWO YEARS ago. I agree that it's totally unacceptable for system software to bomb (!!!) if it can't find a data file. - Charles @ CodeHead Tech From the FNET Conf : AEOnline Msg# : 10204/10220 Lines: 12 Read: 1 Sent : Jun 10, 1992 at 2:49 PM To : Bob Brodie From : Bob Dolson at Fnet Node 168, C.C.B.B.S. - Bridgeton, N.J. Subj : Re: <9995> VOODOO Hey don't feel bad....... I've been accused of having a 'Voodoo STe' by the Codeheads!! It's all because the update to Warp 9 makes it so Hotwire's auto menu doesn't come up if I have the W9 accessory active. I've been going back and forth with them about it ever since the upgrade came out. It works fine on my friend's 1.6 TOS STe, but this 1.62 STe is the one that has the problem. They say that it CAN'T be the TOS version. They might be right but the only other difference between my STe and my friend's is the TOS and the fact that mine has that weird DMA sound clicking problem that has never been resolved and that other STe and MSTE owners have also reported. Both of us have an ADspeed installed by the way and this problem with W9 and Hotwire also occurs if they are the ONLY auto programs and acc. installed.....Strange eh?? From CIS #: 64010 S8/Hot Topics 07-Jun-92 21:09:38 Sb: #63824-#FONTGDOS games Fm: Ron Kovacs 75300,1642 To: STReport - Ralph 70007,4454 (X) Ralph... It is interesting how you change with the wind?? I see that you state in your latest online offering that you have stayed out of the matter and yet I see you here bashing away. You reprint messages and offer NO assistance with the matter with the goal to further the problem and create more headaches for those who don't know about what is actually going on. Yet, you are tired of the favoritism and behind the scenes politics and vast amounts of energy being wasted on vendettas and obsessions? Weren't you one of the parties that called ST-Format to attempt a change with the files uploaded to GEnie? Looks to me that you are obsessed with not being the point of attention. You are not high on the list of respectable people anymore and yet you must wonder why? You continue to screw around with people behind the scenes and you don't like it when others, (in your opinion), are seemingly doing the same thing. Parts of this entire matter could have been solved more quietly without your involvement as I am sure you are guilty of stirring the pot just enough to get a few people's anger up. For this we have to now read you are tired...... Well, stop playing the games and I am sure there will be less of this for you to be tired of. And keep the sarcastic comments to yourself..... Editor Note: Mr. Kovacs, I thank you for your eloquently worded reply and wish you all the best in overcoming your present difficulties in communicating on an intelligent level. Please, do not concern yourself about the effect on others by your problematic behavior as I fully understand that this undesirable manifestation will eventually fade into obscurity with the attainment of adulthood.... From CIS #: 64043 S8/Hot Topics 08-Jun-92 01:41:40 Sb: #64014-FONTGDOS games Fm: CodeHead Software 76004,2232 To: Ron Kovacs 75300,1642 Ron Kovacs, I've been a Compuserve subscriber for almost 12 years, and I'd like to let you know that you have now been responsible for the most unpleasant series of hostile messages that it has ever been my misfortune to read on this network. I look forward to Compuserve. For the most part, there's a very congenial atmosphere here; and many of the people at whom you are unleashing blasts of venom are the most helpful and selfless people I've seen online anywhere. I feel almost as if you had walked into my house while I had guests, and started ranting at them, insulting them, and calling them names. If it WERE my house, I would throw you out. - Charles @ CodeHead Tech from the FNET Conf : AEOnline Msg# : 9851/9875 Lines: 17 Read: 1 Sent : Jun 06, 1992 at 7:27 AM To : Boris Molodyi From : Ron Kovacs at Fnet Node 593, Z*Net News Service - NJ Subj : AEO?? In reply to: -BTW, I've seen Charles F. Johnson's (CodeHead) comments on FontGDOS on -CompuServe... Gee, they screwed this thing up. Among other things, it do -not use workstation info in the standard way (info, as I understood him, -returned by vq_extnd call). One of the side effects is that Warp 9 (or -similar accelerators, which depend on workstation info present) will be -much slowed down. He predicts 50% slowdown compared to G+PLUS... -Also, you still can not reload drivers on the fly, like in G+PLUS. I think what is interesting is that Johnson has a commercial product that is nearly (or even better) then the original and is now upset because tehre are TWO products from him that are now in chaos. You can't please everyone all the time and I feel that perhaps a little human nature is behjind his complaints because it scars his own products. From CIS J#: 63739 S8/Hot Topics 05-Jun-92 13:49:24 Sb: #63738-FONTGDOS games Fm: bob wilson 72355,1637 To: CodeHead Software 76004,2232 (X) Charles, I ran into that system bomb when I deleted EXTEND.SYS to write up an installation guide for FONT GDOS since there wasn't one in the file. Good thing I had my floppy with the Hard disk booter or I would be SOL on using my mega STE. Rather incredible is a bit of an understatement. As to FSM I really do not expect to see it in general distribution. If they can't get something like FSM or the book out on time how are they ever going to get out a Falcon, and would you want to buy one undrer the circumstances. Heck FONT GDOS may double the sales of G+Plus. From the FNET Msg #17683 ( 19 of 20 ) Date: 06-06-92 (24:04) To : BRIAN IRWIN From: BOB BRODIE Subj: LATEST EDITION -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brian, I'm sorry that the release of FontGDOS was handled so poorly from your perspective. The two biggest resources that I'm lacking at the moment are time and people! <grin> With a bigger staff and more folks I'm sure that things would have gone more smoothly. As I indicated in another message, you really don't need the intall program. I deleted it because it was intended originally to be used with a joint release of FSM and FontGDOS. Since I was not permitted to release FSM, I had strong reservations about how the install program would work without all the files that it expected to find. Read the docs, carefully. They tell you how to go about setting things up. And I highly recommend the use of the CPXs, they're much nicer than using the ACCs IMHO. regards, Bob Brodie *Origin: Fnet Node 706, Z*Net Golden Gate - California From the FNET Msg #17686 ( 12 of 20 ) Date: 06-06-92 (13:15) To : ALL From: BOB BRODIE Subj: AEO_9203.LZH -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here's the edition of Atari Explorer Online that went out last week on GEnie. This issue DOES NOT have the file FNT_GDOS.LZH that was included in the archive posted on Z*Net Golden Gate or Z*Net News Service. The feedback that we have gotten off of GEnie from people having difficulty in using the file have caused me to delay releasing FontGDOS further until we have evaluated their comments fully. We will release FontGDOS via the FNET as soon as possible. My apologies for the delay in the release, this is/was entirely my fault, not Ron Kovacs. regards, Bob Brodie [ConfMail: AEO_9203.LZH attached. (55586 bytes)] *Origin: Fnet Node 706, Z*Net Golden Gate - California From the FNET Msg #20533 ( 7 of 12) Date: 06-06-92 (14:35) To : BRIAN-ROLAND MILLER From: CHRIS B. HERTING Subj: ATARI EXPLORER - THE HARD -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When it comes to computers... The question most customers want to have answered is what kind of support does this computer receive from third party developers. The fact is, in the United States, Atari has almost none. Atari is not worthy of holding IBM's shoes. The Atari ST may be a great machine, but without support, it will not amount to much of anything. I have a question myself. After years and years, why has Atari not learned to be user friendly. Every business prides itself with the understanding that the customers are always right. Not Atari, they think, US FIRST.. That is another reason why they will NEVER rebound. All Atarians should work together, toward a common goal.. To help the Atari strive. It is not ONLY Atari's job. It is every users obligation. I have been trying to pull the Washington Area Atari BBS's together to form a support group, but the response from the SysOp's has been less than positive. And Bob Brodie.. What is the matter with you. I realize you do not care for certain people. All of us have positives and negatives.. All of us have people we do not care for and people we do respect. But the bottom line is, you can not ignore them because you do not like them. Especially right now, when we need to pull together. The Atari usersbase is in disarray. It is not united. Bob, sometimes you have to tolerate people. Even if you do not agree with the way they handle themselves, or the way they handle their business. WE HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER.. If we continue to nitpick (ST REPORT AND BRODIE) we will never accomplish anything. By your unwillingness to work together everybody will suffer. Now then, I do not even want to see one response from Brodie or ST-Report saying, well, he does this, and they do that. Brodie and Ralph, you both have the right to your opinions, I don't care what you do not like about each other. What I do care about is the Atari ST. Something the both of you should try to do... TOGETHER that is!! *Origin: Fnet Node 556, Thieves Guild-#556-Suitland-MD Editor Note: I am willing to try... anything is possible. From the FNET Conf : STReport Online Msg# : 20558/20590 Lines: Extended Read: 42 Sent : Jun 10, 1992 at 1:35 AM To : Chris B. Herting From : Mark K. at Fnet Node 18, ///Turbo Board Support BBS Subj : Re: <20533> ATARI EXPLORER - THE HARD The european market will not always be there. There are some famous authors that already switched to a non-Atari computer. Markus Fritze who is the author of the best Assembler package for the Atari ST (number #1 rated ST package in german as well as french magazine) has switched and is currently programming on the Macintosh line of computers. He still has the Atari ST computer, however he probably will no be realising any other major software packages for the ST. The reason he never realised his package with the english manual is very simple - It's not worth the trouble and money. Another example is - Steffen Fischer from the group Delta Force (also known as Newmode). He put it very simply, ATARI DOESN'T SUPPORT THEIR COMPUTER. This all comes from a)european programmers, where the market is "blooming" b)people who produced quality software c)believed in Atari Corporation. Those are just two examples and people that I have personally spoken to. It's a sad but very true reality! As far as Mr. Brodie goes, I think it is very unfair of him accusing Mr. Mihoka on producing only "utility" software and nothing productive. Also making occusations that he threatened the Tramiel family, even though Mr. Mihoka is not on this network and can not give his side of the story. It is clear to me that Mr. Brodie clearly represents the views of Atari corporation, which are not fair and at times very strange. With a sentence like the above he is basically claiming that programmers that produce software packages that will present the Atari computers on shows as "wow, what a machine" are worthwhile talking to, while others are not. If you would really be interested in what people want, he can post a message with a series of questions of the new line of Atari computers and take a poll. He clearly is not interested since he hasn't done it, thus users are not worthwhile talking to. That's the image Atari Corporation is selling. From CIS Read action ! J#: 64389 S1/Forum Business 10-Jun-92 11:45:42 Sb: #64366-where's AEO online? Fm: Tom Craig (Edinburgh, UK 100042,14 To: SYSOP*Bob Retelle 76702,1466 Hi Bob, (This'll really put the cat amoung the pigeons <g>) I've been reading and occasionally contributing to items on this forum, also to a few BBS's here in the UK, for quite a few months now. This GENIE thing seems to be a pretty hot topic. I do tend to agree with your point though; What, Where & Who is/runs GENIE? I've never seen any blurb in the computing press from them. Is this the *official* on-line home of the Atari Corp.? (Aside: If so, thanks for telling me guys!) Maybe GENIE is more of a metaphor than its originators had intended! This small section of CIS has taught me more about the ins & outs of Atari computing in the last three months than Atari Corp. has in the last three years. I continually hear people saying that they are not sure where Atari is going, should they buy an Apple or an IBM, is the TT really going to take off, are Atari going to fold next year and leave everyone in the lurch etc. Basic law of Marketing: Find out the customers' needs and SATISFY them. I think that Atari customers have been left to satisfy their own needs to a large extent; my right hand is getting pretty tired<g>! Tom.. from CIS J#: 33040 S5/Music/MIDI 10-Jun-92 13:05:42 Sb: #33034-MIDI Hook-up Fm: Atari Advantage magazine 70007,3615 To: SYSOP*John Davis 76711,127 (X) CIS, is great ... its just like "I wish for a ..." --- then someone gives a complete essay on everything you need to know. All the answers for nothing and if only CIS was free. (GRIN) - Albert Dayes """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport's "EDITORIAL CARTOON" """""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > A "Quotable Quote" "Change the names....and mode..." """"""""""""""""" "Why should anyone be allowed to buy a printing press and disseminate pernicious quinions calculated to embarrass the 'government'?" V.I. LENIN Moscow,1920 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" > ABCO SPECIALS! STR InfoFile * NEW 1992 Prices! MORE Products! * """"""""""""""""""""""""""" -------------------------------- ** EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY! ** NOTICE: ABCO will BEAT OR MATCH * ANY * Advertised or Invoiced price * WE WILL NOT BE UNDERSOLD! ABCO COMPUTER CONSULTANTS 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) - Available for all Platforms - * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * * ICD ADSCSI+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED * * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS * * MAXTOR - SEAGATE - QUANTUM * WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE!!! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) VISA - MASTERCARD - NO SURCHARGE! *** NEW!!! ULTRA MODERN "SUPER STYLE" CABINET *** DELUXE 2 bay Cabinet W/65w Auto PS & Blower *** 90 DAY LIMITED OFFER!! *** - AT NO EXTRA COST! - Cabinet & ICD ADSCSI Plus Host [Hard Disk Ready] $259.95 Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb 3.5" Y 419.00 SQN1096 83mb 3.5" Y 519.00 SQN2055 120mb 3.5" Y 574.95 SQN1296 213mb 3.5" Y 839.00 SQN4055 340mb 3.5" Y 1310.00 ================================================== Standard "Shoebox Cabinet style is also available FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY "SUPER CABINET" w/250+w PS MODERN TOWER CABINETS AVAILABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! Many other configurations available. 20mb - 3.5gb NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE - NOTICE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" SPECIAL PURCHASE! * 83mb - 1345mb * Hard Disk Mechanisms Call for SUPER PRICING!! Limited Time Only!! FULLY ASSEMBLED SCSI DRIVES DEDUCT $60.00 ADD $35.00 for 4 BAY SUPER CABINET w/250+w PS EXOTIC TOWER CABINETS AVAILABLE Call for Info! PLEASE NOTE: The above is partial listing only! FAST TECHNOLOGY ACCELERATOR UPGRADES AVAILABLE & INSTALLED ***** >> ABCO proudly offers ATARI PRODUCTS << Call for ABCO's * HIGHLY COMPETITIVE PRICING! * ATARI COMPUTERS * STILL THE BEST VALUE! ***** Original Atari Mouse replacement: $35.00 NEW! If you don't see what you want listed here, call us. Odds are, we either have it or, can get it for you! * GUARANTEED * AT THE BEST POSSIBLE PRICE! * ** 800-562-4037 ** "WE SERVICE WHAT WE SELL" ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * SYQUEST 44MB (#555) >> ABCOFILE "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADSCSI PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. --->> LIMITED TIME SPECIAL! NOW ONLY __$ 579.00__ <<--- **** SCSI UNITS -> ONLY $489.00 **** WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! Cart and Utility Software Included! EXTRA CARTS: $ 69.50 DRIVE MECH ONLY: $ 339.95 ****** SPECIAL - SPECIAL ****** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $895.95.00 ** Includes: * TWO * cartridges! * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - ** 50mb SQG51S $759.00 105mb SQG105S $959.00 ** Or, YOUR choice of Hard Disk Mechanism! LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE ** ANNOUNCING THE NEW! -> ABCO CD-ROM! ** :Special Introductory offer: ABCO CD-ROM $359.95 (limited time only) 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) * IBM - MSDOS - AMIGA - ATARI - APPLE - MACINTOSH * 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 - Atari SLM 804, SLM 804PCV Laser Toner Kits Memorex 2108, 5287 Oasys Laserpro 5287, 5308, Express 830, Express Series II Silver Express, Gold Express ** $41.95 shipping Included ** Atari SLM 605 Laser Toner Kits AT&T 593, CAF Laser, DSI Laser, DTP Systems, Epson EPL-6000 Facit P6060, Fontx Syslaser, Harris3M 2006, M-Tally MT905 Microtek Turbo PS, OAS Laserpro Executive, Packard Bell 9500 TEC LB 1305, Toshiba PageLaser 6 ** $41.95 shipping included ** (TWO Toner Carts Incl.) Panasonic Laser Toner Kits Panasonic KX -P 400 series, Panafax UF-750 Facsimile ** $41.95 shipping included ** -- ALL TONER KITS * IN STOCK * -- * Toner Starter Kits-$62.95 * * Replacement (804) Drums-$186.95 * ABCO is PROUD to announce the acquisition of the exclusive U.S.A. distribution rights for ** Bitblit Software's ///Turbo Board BBS. ** This fine Atari ST BBS system software and user support is available through ABCO to all Turbo customers in the USA. Call for current pricing. >> MANY other ATARI related products STOCKED << ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) WE PAY SHIPPING & INSURANCE! >UPS!< (Cont. USA) QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE! _________________________________________ DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! please, call for details VISA - MASTERCARD - NO SURCHARGE! Personal and Company Checks 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! SEND FOR YOUR NEW ABCO CATALOG TODAY! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STReport International Online Magazine [S]ilicon [T]imes [R]eport Available through more than 10,000 Private BBS systems WorldWide! """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" STR Online! "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" June 12, 1992 Since 1987 copyright 1987-92 No.8.24 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" 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 STR editors, contributors and or staff are not responsible for the use or misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""