No Fragments Archive 12: Textmags & Docs/nf_archive_12.iso/MAGS/TEXTMAGS/ATARI16/INFO91.ZIP/INFO91/228.TXT

Text File | 1997-04-16 | 25.3 KB | 607 lines

Info-Atari16 Digest         Wed, 24 Apr 91       Volume 91 : Issue 228

Today's Topics:
              ``Standard'' colors for desktop computers
           ASSIGN.SYS for OPUS spreadsheet/Charting program
                          Atari advertising
                          Atari Questions...
                        Atari System for Sale
                      Mega ST2 Upgrade Questions
                      Other FTL games? (2 msgs)
              Revenge of the Mother of All ST Fire Sales
                        Spectre GCR / ST Disks
                               tos dump
                             TOS version
                    TT mentioned in May issue BYTE
                                Virus
                             VKILL381.LZH
               VT220 - 8 bit Terminal Emulator Required
                Wanted:  Phone # for MWC Support line
                      Weird TT hard disk thingy

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 07:51:06 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintaka
 !bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!edcastle!hwcs![e-mail] (Neil
 Forsyth)
Subject: ``Standard'' colors for desktop computers
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (mathew) writes:
>Jeff "The GOD of Arcade Games" Minter has a resprayed Atari ST. It's black
>with starfields and rainbows and geometric shapes in neon colours and similar
>bizarre decorations.

I always wanted to paint mine black too (I think I'll pass on the stars and
rainbows though) but you'd have to watch that the paint didn't flake off at a
later date and make your ST look really bad. I imagine some sort of thick
car body laquer is in order to avoid the flaking. What do Atari do when you
send in a painted ST for repair? Send back a vanilla grey one I guess.

BTW: If you are going to call anyone a GOD of arcade games then surely the
Bitmap Brothers deserve to be called that more than Jeff Minter does. Not
only that but when it comes to documentation, Jeff couldn't write a manual
to save his life. The Trip-A-Tron manual was written by Jeff, for Jeff, and
was totally useless. Not only that but he spent a lot of time, and ST memory,
on those stupid colourful menu/consoles each with it's own unique exit box.

>mathew

+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
! DISCLAIMER:Unless otherwise stated, the above comments are entirely my own !
!                                                                            !
! Neil Forsyth                      JANET:  [e-mail]                 !
! Dept. of Computer Science         ARPA:   [e-mail]                 !
! Heriot-Watt University            UUCP:   ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!neil          !
! Edinburgh, Scotland, UK           "That was never 5 menus!"                !
+----------------------------------------------------------------------------+

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 08:40:25 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!think.com!mintak
 a!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!newcastle.ac.uk!milfield!ndch@arizon
 a.edu (Dave Halliday)
Subject: ASSIGN.SYS for OPUS spreadsheet/Charting program
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Mohammad A. Rahin) writes:
|>Many recently, once again showed their frustration for not being able to draw
|>fancy charts with the OPUS program. All this is mainly due to OPUS's rather
|>strict rule on printer font selection. The main requirement is that one must
|>use the exact corresponding printer font as for the screen font. If this
|>requirement is satisfied, one is more or less assured of hassle free
|>operation. There is one other thing one must do, i.e., run FONTWIDT.PRG in
|>order to set up font metrics for OPUS's internal use. Any way, here is my
|>ASSIGN.SYS file. It works perfectly OK with me and hopefully will work
for you
|>as well.
|>[ I'm using a mono screen and a 24-pin Epson LQ800 compatible printer. ]
|>

Another problem is that the fonts _must_ be in the same order for every
device in the list.

If you do not have a printer font for a screen font that you are using
you can simply use the screen font as a printer font but I wouldn't use
it in opus or the printed output will be minute. For example when
running gemini, you may wan't to have the gemini font for the console
window and this font has no printer version.

Dave Halliday
([e-mail])

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 20:56:33 GMT
From: chinet![e-mail] (Stephen Jacobs)
Subject: Atari advertising
To: [e-mail]

I watched a couple of New York Mets baseball games.  For several days in a row,
they announced that guests on the post-game show would get Atari Portfolios.
Picture shown on TV, description of what it was.  Hey, it's SOMETHING.
                                      Steve       [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 23:17:14 GMT
From: noao!ncar!news.miami.edu!umiami![e-mail]
Subject: Atari Questions...
To: [e-mail]

  I have three questions regarding Atari's recent machine releases...

    1.  Why is the TT being shipped with the old MEGA keybooard?

    2.  Why is the MEGA/STE being shiped with the old MEGA Keyboard?

    3.  Becasue the old keyboards are being shipped in these machines, does it
mean that I can upgrade my keyboard to the newer version???


Just wondering...


  Mark Santora
  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 01:14:28 GMT
From: noao!ncar!news.miami.edu!umiami![e-mail]
Subject: Atari System for Sale
To: [e-mail]

   For Sale:

        MEGA ST 2 with TOS 1.4 installed
        SC 1224 Color Monitor
        Megafile 30
        Panasonic KX1224 24 pin printer
        Tweety Board(installed in MEGA)

    and some software.  I want $1700 for the package.  All items are in
EXCELLENT condition and will be shipped in their original boxes.


   Mark Santora
   [e-mail]



------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 17:57:39 GMT
From: aurs01![e-mail] (Jonathan Whitcomb)
Subject: Mega ST2 Upgrade Questions
To: [e-mail]

I wouldn't have believed it a year ago when I bought it, but I now
have to expand the memory on my Mega ST2.  Those MIDI programs and
essential utilities really eat up the memory!  I would appreciate
advice or pointers to references on the following topics:

1.  Impressions of the Z*RAM Mega 2-to-4 board.  Specifically, how
reliable is it, and will the board get in the way of the expansion
slots or an internal hard drive?  Also, how likely is a solderless
board to shake loose?

2.  Companies that will install a memory upgrade by mail:
experiences, reliability, cost, turnaround time and so forth.

3.  Articles or instructions for a DIY memory upgrade.  Listings of
chips (with part numbers) and good sources for parts would be great.
I know how to use a soldering pen, but it's been a while, so advice
on how tricky the job is would also be useful.

4.  In the "as long as I've got the hood up" department, I'd like
to know how people who've upgraded from TOS V1.2 to V1.4 have
fared.  Was it more trouble than it was worth?  Did you lose
any program compatibility?  Should I just hang around until the
fabled STE Mega upgrade board comes along?

5.  Is there a list of boards that make use of the Mega expansion
slot?

6.  Has anyone had experiences installing an internal hard drive
in a Mega?

Of course there is always the option of unloading my Mega 2 and
upgrading to a Mega STE...

Thoughts, opinions, dirty limericks welcome.
**********************************************************************
Jonathan Whitcomb                    UUCP: <[e-mail]>
Alcatel Network Systems, Raleigh, NC                    Delphi: JBWHIT


------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 02:42:49 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.
 columbia.edu!cunixf.cc.columbia.edu!cunixa.cc.columbia.edu![e-mail]
 (Alexander Maldutis)
Subject: Other FTL games?
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David M.
 Baggett) writes:
>In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Rick
 Silverstein) writes:
>>Does FTL produce any other games similar to the quality of Dungeon Master
>>and Chaos Strikes Back?
>
>How about * Sundog *, one of my favorites.
>
>Dave Baggett
>[e-mail]

Is this available on the Amiga - I've got awesome memories of playing this
on the ST unit device.  I guess they didn't, but hope springs eternal.



******************************************************************************
                HA HA!  YOU THINK THIS IS THE REAL .SIGNATURE?
                                IT IS!
Total Computing!**********************************[e-mail]*

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 11:34:22 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ukma!rex!wuarchive!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!mail
 er.cc.fsu.edu!nu![e-mail] (Mickey Boyd)
Subject: Other FTL games?
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Rick
 Silverstein) writes:
>Does FTL produce any other games similar to the quality of Dungeon Master
>and Chaos Strikes Back?
>
>Rick Silverstein


You might try Oids.  A great game for which Asteroids is a distant cousin.
The game is quite old, but is still being sold for full price (which should
tell you something).
--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  [e-mail]  |
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 03:23:01 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!wuarchive!uwm.edu!ux1.cso.uiuc.edu!bra
 dley.bradley.edu!pallas![e-mail] (Lee Bertagnolli)
Subject: Revenge of the Mother of All ST Fire Sales
To: [e-mail]

This is the absolute final, everything must go, get it out of here, ST sale!

Best offer on everything:

    Astra two-monitor switch
    Set 64K Mac ROMS
    Unison Printmaster (original shrink wrap)
    MaxPak Desktop Accessories (original shrink wrap)
    Beckmeyer MicroMake (original shrink wrap)
    (4) Antic MacroMouse Mouse recorder (3 in original wrap, 1 open)
    Antic A-Calc spreadsheet (open)
    Chat! communications program (open)
    Start Mags with Disk, one each March, June, and August 1989.

Somebody please take these things off my hands.  Prefer you pay the
mail/freight.
--
+ Lee Bertagnolli                +                      Voice: [phone] +
+ Minnie BBS                     +                      Data:  [phone] +
+ 34 Hazel Lane                  +     UUCP:  {bradley,uunet}!pallas!lbert359 +
+ Springfield, Illinois  62707   +          Internet:  [e-mail] +

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 11:44:39 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ukma!rex!wuarchive!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!mail
 er.cc.fsu.edu!nu![e-mail] (Mickey Boyd)
Subject: Spectre GCR / ST Disks
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Y.Tsuji) writes:
>You are right in saying that without additional hardware ATARI ST
>cannot emulate a MAC.

Actually, there are several pirate versions of the Spectre, which load the
mac OS from a disk image.  Dave Small goes to a lot of trouble to make this
difficult, but unfortunetely there are those that spend the time to do it
anyway.  These pirate versions are totally disk based, requiring no hardware
whatsoever.  Of course, hardware is needed to emulate the group coded record
disk format that the mac's use (hence GCR).
--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  [e-mail]  |
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 11:56:14 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!ukma!psuvax1!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!caen!uflorida!mail
 er.cc.fsu.edu!nu![e-mail] (Mickey Boyd)
Subject: tos dump
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Chuck Schul)
 writes:
>how can one get tos on a disk i got 1.2 and i wanna run 1.4 to see if i
>should upgrade my machine.if i can get tos 1.4 on disk then i can see if i
>wanna upgrade.i know it is possible since i read about tos 2.0 pirate file
>being around the east coast(the usuall place for pirate files i guess?)but
>you guys fill me with knowledge.!
>----

Well, if the TOS 2.0 file is a PIRATE file, then any TOS 1.4 file would also
be a PIRATE file, right?  That means that the Internet is the WRONG place
to ask for it, right?

Don't be a shithead, Chuck.  The benifits of TOS 1.4 have been well discussed
both here and in most ST publications.  If you have a hard disk, you probably
want it.  If not, spend your $80 on blank disks.
--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  [e-mail]  |
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 24 Apr 91  11:51 GMT
From: MIKE <[e-mail]>
Subject: TOS version
To: [e-mail]

    I have just upgraded to a 1M STE and have a couple of questions concerning
the version of TOS. If I run the TOS_VERS.PRG from the archive, I get 1.6 back
but when using STOS, I get 1.62. Can someone tell me which is correct and what
(if any !!) bugs there are in my version.

    On an unrelated note, I'd like to know how to combine horizontal and
vertical sync in order to get a composite sync for use with a non-atari
monitor.

    Replies by e-mail please

    Mike Jenkins

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 04:25:33 GMT
From: ccncsu!lamar![e-mail] (Shoou-yu tang)
Subject: TT mentioned in May issue BYTE
To: [e-mail]

 Hello there:
 Just got my Byte in the mail. If you got yours but have not open it, turn to
 page 93. Mr. Pournelle gave a short impression of TT. The article title is
 Atari Revisited.
 Tang
 [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 09:55:24 GMT
From: IFI.UIO.NO![e-mail] (LarsErikOsterud)
Subject: Virus
To: [e-mail]

Does anyone know WHERE to get the newest version of AVK (Atari Virus Killer)
Any company that sells it will do (or the adress p} the author if he can sell
me one).  We got serious problems with a unknown link-virus over here andthe
old version doesn't find it, and since sagrotan is a bit unsure about many
files I would like a newer version of AVK to be sure.  Any help is great !!

 Lars-Erik  /  ABK-BBS [phone]  /   ____ ______ ________________________
  Osterud  /  [e-mail]  /   /___    /            The norwegian ST
__________/ ______________________/   ____/   /   Klubben,  user association

------------------------------

Date: 24 Apr 91 05:41:42 GMT
From:
 arizona.edu!cerritos.edu!nic.csu.net!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jarthur!petunia!csu
 chico.edu![e-mail] (Ed Krimen)
Subject: VKILL381.LZH
To: [e-mail]

I had mentioned earlier that Virus Killer 3.81 was at atari.archive.  Well,
someone pointed out that it actually wasn't.  I thought I had obtained my
copy from there, but I guess not.  Anyway, it's there now; I just sent it.

--
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: [e-mail]  FREENET: al661
  / | \  SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261        FIDONET: 1:119/4.0

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 10:14:41 GMT
From:
 noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!think.com!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beac
 on!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!ukc!icdoc!syma![e-mail] (Lez Oxley)
Subject: VT220 - 8 bit Terminal Emulator Required
To: [e-mail]

I am searching for a VT220 terminal emulator which can handle VT200 -
8-bit cursor and numeric keypad ESCape Sequences. For example it should
be able to send the following cursor control sequences in Application
mode:

        Application     Up      8F A            8F (hex) = 143 (dec)
                        Down    8F B
                        Right   8F C
                        Left    8F D
Can anyone help?

Ideally I would have liked to have used Uniterm but my reading of the
manual (see Page 26 (para 6.3.2) 'C0/C1 modes') would seem to imply that
only VT200-7bit cursor keys can be sent by the cursor and keypad keys and
that you can not send VT200-8bit sequences. Furthermore, I don't think
you can re-program the unshifted cursor keys.

So if you know of a good VT220 emulator which can satisfy my purposes or
indeed if you know how to reprogram Uniterm to achieve the same effect
please let me know.

Many thanks.




--
Lez Oxley, Administration, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RH, UK
Tel: [phone] x3808 Fax: [phone] JANET: [e-mail]
ARPA: [e-mail]
BITNET: [e-mail]      UUCP: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 16:56:34 GMT
From: chinet![e-mail] (Stephen Jacobs)
Subject: Wanted:  Phone # for MWC Support line
To: [e-mail]

In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
 (Laurent JULLIARD) writes:
>My understanding is that the Mark Williams Company is now closed !
>
>So I can hardly imagine you find any support line.
>
Mark Williams company is still operating (MUCH MUCH more successfully than
ever).  They seem less inclined to do anything for the ST as time goes on,
but their commitment to continue supporting the products they've already sold
seems firm.  Their present flagship product is the COHERENT operating system
for PCs (a small, modular UNIX-alike).

I got some particulars mixed up in a previous message (now cancelled).  They've
changed phone numbers again, and I think they've moved, but they're still in
the suburbs, not back in Chicago.  Anyway, if you call the main number
[phone] and say you need support for their C compiler for the Atari ST,
you should do alright.  What you get is going to be essentially whatever a
bright guy who hasn't used the ST C compiler lately (or perhaps ever) can
give you with online access to the source code and the problem reports/fixes
database.  That's enough for most stuff that'll come up.
                                         Steve      [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 23 Apr 91 20:33:20 GMT
From: imagen!atari![e-mail] (Allan Pratt)
Subject: Weird TT hard disk thingy
To: [e-mail]

[e-mail] (Dave Halliday) writes:


>In article <[e-mail]>,
>[e-mail] (Howard Chu) writes:
>|>In article <[e-mail]>
>[e-mail] writes:
>|>>My friend managed to get his external Supra HD connected to his TT
>|>>(which has an internal SCSI device).  The TT differentiates between
>|>>SCSI and ASCI devices.  The internal drive is set at SCSI 0, so my
>|>>friend set his Supra at SCSI 1, so they would not confict.  This
>|>>turned out to be the problem.  BOTH drives had to be set to SCSI 0
>|>>to work.  Extremely weird.  Anyone have an explination?
>|>
>|>What did he plug the Supra into, daisy chained off the SCSI port, or
>|>the Atari DMA port? If DMA port, then the answer is that you're using two
>|>separate buses...

>Yes, but why does this explain why it will not work with an id other
>than 0? I can see that if TT SCSI and ASCI are seperate buses then it is
>ok to use the same id. Does this meen that the TT ASCI port only
>supports one device not the full 8 on the ST. If it supports the full 8
>then with two buses or 16 SCSI devices the TT can handle some serious
>backing storage :->

[I posted this earlier, but from the look of it the message didn't leave my
site.]

It's not the least bit wierd if you work through the logic of the busses.
The fatal flaw in your reasoning is that you think since both drives are
SCSI drives, they should have different SCSI unit numbers.  What's actually
happening as far as the TT is concerned is that you have one SCSI drive and
one ACSI drive.  The Supra drive is connected through a controller which
lets you plug the SCSI drive into the ACSI bus.  The controller, in
essence, creates a tiny SCSI bus between it and the drive you connect to
it.  This controller will only control one unit, and it has to be SCSI unit
0.  The controller probably has a switch of its own, to tell it which ACSI
drive it should respond as.



            This is a SCSI bus
                    |
        ----------  |
        |   TT   |  |
        |        |  v   ------------------------------------
        | SCSI --X<---->| Internal SCSI drive, SCSI unit 0 |
        | BUS    |      ------------------------------------
        |        |
        |        |      --------------------      ------------------
        | ACSI --X<---->| Supra Controller |<---->| External drive |
        | BUS    |  ~   | ACSI unit 0      |  ~   | SCSI unit 0    |
        |        |  |   | ACSI <--> SCSI   |  |   ------------------
        ----------  |   --------------------  |
                    |                         |
            This is an ACSI bus         This is a SCSI bus

If you add another Supra controller (or ICD controller or any SCSI-to-ACSI
converter) to the ACSI bus, you would have to make it ACSI unit 1, but the
drive it controls would still be SCSI unit 0, and there's no conflict
because it's the only SCSI drive on the SCSI bus that the controller
creates between itself and that drive.

Get the picture?

More minutae: HDX asks "SCSI or ACSI" when you select a drive; it's talking
about SCSI or ACSI as the TT sees things, not necessarily which kind of
mechanism it is. Almost all Atari drives are now SCSI drives with an
ACSI-to-SCSI converter inside the case, where you don't see it.  The
Megafile 44 is a good example.  Some used to be (and may still be) ST-506
drives with an ST506-to-ACSI converter inside the case, so don't count on
one or the other without checking.

The chief difference between SCSI and ACSI in the TT is that the SCSI bus
supports the full SCSI command set, and ACSI doesn't.  One important
command which ACSI does not support is "inquire capacity."  When you can do
"inquire capacity" you don't need to know anything else about the drive to
format or partition it, ergo no wincap and no "click on the drive type"
box.  Wincap is still required for HDX to be able to format and partition
some (all?) ACSI drives.

A final note: Mega STe's have an internal SCSI drive like TT's, but again,
there is a SCSI-to-ACSI converter inside the box, so as far as TOS and HDX
are concerned, it's an ACSI drive.  Mega STe's don't really have SCSI, even
though it kind of looks like they do.

============================================
Opinions expressed above do not necessarily     -- Allan Pratt, Atari Corp.
reflect those of Atari Corp. or anyone else.      ...ames!atari!apratt

------------------------------

End of Info-Atari16 Digest
******************************