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////// // // ////// ////// // / /// // // // // /// // // // ////// // // / // /// // // ////// // // /////// // Z*Net Atari Online Magazine (©) 1990 by Rovac Industries, Inc. ======================================================================= Issue #523 June 8, 1990 ======================================================================= =============================== CONTENTS =============================== > THIS WEEK.................................................Ron Kovacs > Z*NET NEWSWIRE...................................................... > LAST WORD...............................................Andrew Reese > Z*NET DOWN-UNDER..........................................Jon Clarke > ST STACK.................................................Alice Amore > MODIFYING PAGESTREAM.....................................James Parry > PD/SHAREWARE STOP.........................................Mark Quinn > TICK TOCK CLOCK........................................Press Release > FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE TT IN CANADA..................Darek Mihocka =============================== THIS WEEK =============================== by Ron Kovacs Response to the ST-JOURNAL notices we published has been very successful so once again here is the information on getting the magazine. Individual copies are available for $4.50 and a yearly subscription is $29.95. More information available from ST-JOURNAL, 113 West College Street, Covina, CA 91723, 818-332-0372. For those interested in contacting Z*Net: On Compuserve at 71777,2140, on GEnie at Z-NET or the Z*Net BBS at (201) 968-8148. =============================== Z*NET NEWSWIRE =============================== (Editors Note: The following expanded Newswire coverage contains CES announcements of interest.) HAND-HELD ENCYCLOPEDIA Franklin Electronic announced the world's first hand-held electronic encyclopedia. The electronic edition of The Concise Columbia Encyclopedia is a technological breakthrough -- providing split-second access to masses of information. Franklin's electronic Concise Columbia Encyclopedia provides advanced electronic searching and cross- referencing capabilities. This new format eliminates hours normally spent searching through texts to retrieve specific information buried in scattered articles. By simply typing in key words you call up every article related to your request, categorized by subjects. The Encyclopedia will be available in late 1990 with a suggested retail price of $299. Franklin Electronic Publishers Inc., 609-261-4800 LEXICOR A new company by the name of Lexicor Software has come onto the Atari scene. According to Lexicor, its sole function is to support software authors, develop some much needed tools for the artist at affordable prices and pay authors the best possible royalties. Says Lee Seiler of Lexicor, "authors get much more than just financial support; they also retain all their copyrights, have the right to use their codes in projects outside of Lexicor, and have a voice in every aspect of the publication and development of their programs. They get signed contracts up-front in addition to money. In short, Lexicor is a software development company run by authors for authors. According to Seiler, Lexicor has both a long term and a short term goal. The long term: to complete their modular motion control programs series, Phase-4, for the Atari by mid-summer. The short term: to create a fully mouse driven environment which will put the Atari user into the computer video imaging world arena. Lexicor's Phase-4, written by Paul Dana, will feature full motion control of CAD3D3 objects and will load 3D, 3D2, DXF and Renderman-RIB files. It will include an object file viewer program, written by Dave Ramsden, for importing and exporting all Cyber compatible files (DXF, IGES, Mac sculpt, Amiga sculpt 3D formats) and for saving Delta file animations. Other features of this series will include a real-time point cloud, wire frame and solid face rendering in depth-cue, a surface modeling and contouring module (Lexicor says the features of this program must be seen to be believed), and a fully functional Cal-Comp Digitizing tablet driver by Paul Lefevre which will be selling for under $200. In the planning stage, but being coded for in current modules, are pipeline and hook interfaces for a real-time 3D font generator which will be keyboard driven (Just type it into the keyboard and see it extruded into 3D3 on the screen.) and a 2D template editor and creation tool which will run as an accessory. All coding will be compatible for both the ST and the TT. Regarding Lexicor's short term goal, their mouse driven environment, according to the company, will focus on the small graphics artist and on the TV station/ cable network market. As such, they are developing this program in such a way that the user will be able to create and export files to high level systems such as AutoCad, Crystal, Renderman, etc. On the other hand, systems users will be able to contract a large segment of their work to artists using this program and get back fully compatible file formats. Says Seiler, "We believe that with such programs any talented artist or computer owner can, if he or she wishes, choose to pursue a career in computer video imaging. With the TT close at hand this is no longer just a hoped for dream. We may well propel the Atari into the world of commercial productivity." Anyone needing more information can contact Lee Seiler at, Lexicor Software Corporation, 58 Redwood Road, Fairfax, Ca 94930, (415) 453-0271. This item was reprinted from the first issue of ST-JOURNAL MAGAZINE by permission. CES STATS 50,000 plus attended the Summer Consumer Electonics Show. Sponsored by the Electronics Industries Association, some 1,300 exhibitors were on hand with automatic navigation systems for confused motorists and an electronic handheld encyclopedia, among the items. The keynote speaker was Akio Morita, chairman of Sony Corp., who told how new technology can improve the quality of life. Another speaker, Rick Del Guidice, of Panasonic's Auto Products Division, said mobile electronics such as cellular telephones and compact disks would prove particularly innovative at the show. CMS UPDATE CMS announced the Calling Card Mini Fax for PC-based and Apple personal computers. The Calling Card Mini Fax is a pocket-size modem that features 4800 bps send fax capabilities for facsimile transmission, as well as 2400 bps Hayes-compatible data modem capabilities for file transferring and data communication. Packaged with both PC and Macintosh communication software, the Mini Fax is compatible with both types of systems. Available immediately, the Mini Fax has a suggested retal price of $349. CMS Enhancements, 714-259-5888 NEC'S NEW VIDEO GAME NEC unveiled a new, color hand-held unit to challenge Nintendo's Game Boy. TurboExpress portable video game system was among dozens of new products making their debuts at CES. TurboExpress, is a full color portable system that can double as a portable TV for camcorder monitor with a special adapter. TurboExpress will play games made for the TurboGraphx home system. XEROX CHANGES NAME Xerox Desktop Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of Xerox Corp., announced this week that it has been renamed Ventura Software Inc. a Xerox company. The company's products, including Ventura Publisher and FormBase, give users better ways to capture, manage and present information. Ventura is the name of the company's flagship product, Ventura Publisher, recognized worldwide as the leading desktop publishing system for IBM personal computers and compatibles. SMITH CORONA INTRODUCES WP Smith Corona introduced the entry level PWP 1000 Personal Word Processor that includes the new Personal Card File and Battery Back-up features. The PWP 1000 includes the ultimate Smith Corona organizational tool, the Personal Card File. Like a rolodex on screen, the Personal Card File enables users to efficiently create, edit, view, sort, print, and secure information in an index card format, for business or personal use. Suggested retail price for the PWP 1000 is $499.99. SOFTWARE PUBLISHING Software Publishing announced PFS:Preface 1.0, a menu system and DOS manager designed to simplify the basic functions of a DOS-based computer. PFS:Preface 1.0 allows novice and occasional users to organize and manage software applications and the contents of their hard disks without requiring knowledge of DOS syntax. The application menu system also allows users to create new links to the main menu by providing help in locating additional programs on the hard drive. FOUNDER OF INTEL DIES Robert Noyce, founder of Intel Corp., and president of the government/ industry consortium Sematech, died on Sunday in Austin, Texas. In 1974, Noyce was awarded the AEA Medal of Achievement, presented annually for significant contributions to the advancement of electronics. MITSUBISHI INTRODUCES MONITORS Mitsubishi has announced five new monitors ranging in size from 14 inches to 26 inches that operate over a wide range of frequencies including VGA, VGA Plus, 8514/A and TARGA interlaced, Macintosh II, CGA, EGA and Super EGA. The monitors start at a retail price of $1200 to $11,000. Mitsubishi (213) 527-7686 BACK TO THE FUTURE PART II & III LJN Ltd. is unveiling "Back to the Future: II & III" for the Nintendo, which were debuted at the recent CES show. As Marty McFly, players embark on a wild adventure through three time dimensions, ranging from the 1800s to the year 2000 - that feature a jumbled "space/time continuum" in which objects have been misplaced. Using the super- charged time machine/sports car, players must collect keys and unscramble anagrams in order to return objects to their proper places in time. Available this fall, "II & III" is expected to retail for $44.95. MITEK INTRODUCES TEMPEST MAC Mitek Systems is introducing a new Macintosh pc, the Model 660T. The 660T is based on the advanced, high-performance Macintosh IIfx and offers ease of use and capability. This computer is ideal for computation-intensive applications that demand fast processing of large amounts of data, such as simulations, computer-aided design, 3-D graphics rendering, enhanced desktop publishing and 24-bit image processing. WORDTECH TO MAKE MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT WordTech, manufacturer of interpreters and compilers for the dBASE language, said it would make a major announcement regarding their next generation of fully dBASE compatible products at a press conference to be held at PC EXPO in New York on June 19. WordTech's press conference is scheduled at PC EXPO in New York on Tuesday June 19 from 2-3 p.m. in Room 1C01. ACTIVISION'S ULTIMATE CREATURES Activision and Twentieth Century Fox announced an agreement granting Activision rights to develop video and computer games based on the two creatures of our time: the "Aliens" and "Predator", from the movies by the same names. Under the agreement, Activision will develop "Aliens vs. Predator" across multiple computer and video game formats, including a Christmas 1991 release of the game for the Nintendo. NINTENDO CHOOSES NEW AGENCY Nintendo announced that Foote, Cone & Belding will become its agency of record, handling all advertising for the company's Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and Game Boy product lines. Estimated advertising for Nintendo in 1990 are $35 million. STATES REGAIN POWER A federal court has given states the power to control computerized telecommunications, a ruling that may force the Bell companies to set up subsidiaries to handle such services as automatic banking and alarm systems. The decision this week by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overruled the FCC, which had put regulation of the industry in the hands of the federal government. State regulators now may require the nation's Bell operating companies to set up independent subsidiaries to provide specialized computer services that use the same telephone lines as regular consumer phone service. Dozens of the nation's leading computer and telecommunications companies joined in the lawsuit, including the MCI Telecommunications Corp., IBM, NyNex Telephone Companies, AT&T, and GTE Telephone Operating Companies. 908 AREA CODE UPDATE As the first New Jersey Bell directory to include 908 listings and information, the Monmouth area book begins a year-long cycle to update all directories by June 1991, when the new code officially takes effect. Residents will begin receiving their new Monmouth directory beginning June 14. A blue announcement on the cover directs them to pages 24-29 of the Customer Guide for information about the new 908 area code. The 908 code, includes Warren, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Somerset, Union and parts of Ocean, Sussex and Morris counties, is in the North Jersey, along with the 201 area code. The 609 area code remains unchanged. The cost of telephone calls also will remain the same. Other New Jersey Bell directories that primarily cover the 908 area code are Ocean County, New Brunswick, Hackettstown/Washington, Elizabeth, Middlesex, Phillipsburg and Plainfield. EVEREX - NEW COMPUTERS Everex Systems announced a new line of 80286 and 80386-based PCs, the line will be compatible with Everex STEP systems and will include the Tempo XT/12, the 286/12, 286/16, 386sx/16, 386/20 and 386/25. Tempo systems will begin shipping this month. TELEVIDEO SIGNS DEALS TeleVideo has signed two joint venture agreements to market its computers in the USSR. The first pact signed with ABM Computer Systems in West Germany and the Municipality of Moscow. TeleVideo will be demonstrating many of its computers at the upcoming PC World Forum/ Moscow, scheduled for July 10-15. COMMODORES INTERACTIVE SYSTEM Commodore unveiled an interactive multimedia system at CES. The Commodore Dynamic Total Vision (CDTV) player is the first consumer- oriented product to combine Compact Disc technology and a personal computer into a single, simple-to-use, affordable unit. The player connects directly to a television set and home stereo unit to become an interactive entertainment, information and education center. The CDTV player will ship this fall with a suggested retail price under $1,000, with hopes of more than 100 titles available. =============================== LAST WORD =============================== This feature is a reprint from the April/May ST-JOURNAL MAGAZINE, presented here by permission. THIS ARTICLE MAY NOT BE REPRINTED IN ANY OTHER PUBLICATION OR NEWSLETTER WITHOUT EXPRESS PERMISSION FROM ST- JOURNAL, 113 West College Street, Covina, CA 91723, 818-332-0372. Individual copies of the first issue of ST JOURNAL are available from the above address for the cover price of $4.50, and subscriptions are $29.95 a year. Reprinted by permission of ST JOURNAL MAGAZINE [This month we give the last word to Andrew Reese, who recently left the Editorship of STart magazine for the land of the Big Blue skies.] For the last several years, as Editor of STart Magazine, I have had the privileged position of keeping close tabs on the Atari world. In November of last year, I left STart to join a major software developer that focuses on the IBM PC (among other "serious" platforms). It's a different world-and it has made me think seriously about Atari. Don't get me wrong - I love my ST. It's been my stalwart servant for three years and I'm not going to give it up. Yet, every day at work, I'm surrounded by 386's crammed with more goodies than you can imagine. They're efficient, they're fast and they're versatile. But they're not my ST. I think a comment I read on one of the online services says it best: there will always be enthusiasts for Ataris, just as there are Porsche or Ferrari fans. And there will always be those who buy computer hardware the way they buy their cars - for utility's sake. Maybe a Compaq 386/25 isn't quite like a Chevy; maybe it's more like one of today's high-tech Corvettes, but it still doesn't have much personality. I don't feel for one like I do my ST. So how has Atari made me such a loyalist? And can they convert more of the "Chevy drivers" in the U.S. to the mark of the Fuji? Most of all, I think I love my Atari the best because it's just plain fun to use. The GEM interface is *easv to learn and quite useable. No matter how well I know DOS commands, I still resent having to use them. I know there are command line fanatics out there who hate GEM and love CLI's, but for my money, they can just keep them. Give me a graphic user interface any day. Oh, of course, there are graphic interfaces on PCs, but the problem is that they take monstrous amounts of RAM and disk space just for the operating system. The overhead is just not worth it for most applications. An ST can do so many things so well. Yes, it's a great game machine, but there are programs available for the ST that do just about anything you want - from desktop publishing to graphics. But, by this time in its life, the four-year-old ST design is a little long in the tooth. It's not state-of-the-art; it's not even just behind. It's w-a-y behind. Why? Atari had a good idea back in 1985 and brought it to market quickly and well. But things have stagnated since then. Sure, there was the Mega line. They're nice, but about all they added was memory. And then there was Atari's laser printer - a good idea that came out too late and cost too much (and still does). Ah, but what about the ATW Transputer, the STE, the STACY and the TT? Well, the ATW is pretty much a dead issue, what with Helios reportedly out of business. And the STE is a fine machine; it's just that it's two years late. STACY is a sweet computer with a great keyboard and endless possibilities, if Atari can just get it out the door with a working hard disk. The TT could be a great machine, but it's still sitting in Sunnyvale. All of these Atari hopes were developed by really bright, dedicated people who put their hearts into each of them. But the powers-that-be at Atari missed one window of opportunity after another by skimping on internal development funding. In fact, the only real successes they've had in the U.S. have been with technology developed elsewhere: the Portfolio and the Lynx. Maybe that's the key for Atari: concentrate on being a hardware packager rather than a developer. I want Atari to succeed. I would love to see them make a resurgence in the U.S., but I'm discouraged. Would you buy a Ferrari - or even a Chevy - if there wasn't a dealer within two hundred miles and there were dealers for every other make within a few blocks? If you still would, you're a true Atarian. And so am I. To succeed in the U.S., Atari has to do all of the things they've said they're going to do: redevelop a dealer network, advertise, and, most of all, get those new machines to market. Maybe then more of your neighbors will drive Ataris instead of those transportation machines. - Andrew Reese ================================================================== /\ \/ /\/\/\/\ /\/\/\/\ \/\/\/\/""""""""""" Z*Net Down Under """""""""""\/\/\/\/ /\ by Jon Clarke \/ ================================================================== Computerphobes. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= One of the local universities in Wellington, New Zealand has identified a new phobia called "fear of computers". This may seem a bit strange to most reading this. However, this phobia is on the same level as fear of spiders and the fear of flying. Mr. Pak Yoong, an Information systems lecturer from Victoria University said, "Just as some people feel fear even before they step on a plane, others just don't want to face up to a keyboard. It becomes a block. The fear is not so wide spread now as it was two or three years ago but there is still quite a large proortion of people in the closet who have not been prepared to face up to it." To combat this "Computerphobia" Victoria University is running a series of courses this month called "Computers for the interested and the terrified." "We have a variety of activities to give people an opportunity to verbalise or explore their feelings associated with this fear. In a group they will realise they are not the only ones with this problem." Hands up, how many of us out there can identify with this? Copywrite Laws/Piracy. [Do the RIGHT thing.] ============================================ Things are moving fast in the area of copywrite laws and the rounding up of major pirate rings worldwide. The subject of Pirating has again been the focus of debate. Those that think it is ok and those that think it is not on. For those that think it is ok, beware! The laws in many countries have or are changing to the detriment of the pirates concerned. You may have read in the on-line magazines over the last few months about "USA Copyright law" and the likes. If not, I suggest you get copies and read them. What does "piracy" mean? The loss of revenue to the orginal programing team? YES The loss of revenue to the software distributor? YES The loss of revenue to the local dealer? YES A Lack of faith in the end user market by the program team? YES No support for the end user market by the program team? YES No support for the end user market by the distributor? YES No support/ No sales to the end user market by the dealers? YES Comdemnation of the end user market as a bunch of PIRATES? YES Total lack of software for the end user market? YES Slanging matchs and the likes between users? YES Alienation between various groups? YES Today we find more and more "hot" debates about the rights and wrongs of piracy. Many of us follow the flow or jump on the band wagon and are very quick to condem the pirates with out first looking at our own 'back garden'. So lets take stock of what we have done in reguards to software piracy. We have all at some time or other or will at some time or other get a copy of pirated software. "What you say?" "I have never done that!" Well join the estimated 16% of the population and do not bother to read on. ** Frankly software piracy is thieft which ever way you look at it. ** What does "piracy" mean? Kudos to the pirates, for suppling the software? YES/NO A sense of achievement? YES/NO Ego boosting? YES/NO Power building / Empire building ? YES/NO An "I am greater than thou" attitude? YES/NO A sense of doing the impossible? YES/NO "Who Cares" ? YES/NO The above reminds me of an article I read several years ago about the three degree of piracy. [1] The software Hacker/Pirate. [2] The hanger on's who take the "kudo's" for the piracy. [sector buglers] [3] The people that sell the hackers software. Ever felt like the above? Answer this honestly as it is not a quiz. Did you feel good about your answer? Or did it hit a raw nerve? Now who were we quick to condem before as a pirate? Why did I/We condem them. Does the old adage "People in glass houses do not though stones", ring true? So what is all this leading to? Well in the 'British Commonwealth' countries there have been differing copyright laws. One for Great Britian, Canada, Australia and the likes. What was right for one country was not alway the case in another country. To this end New Zealand is about to bring in admendments to it copyright laws that will see the end to any form of piracy. This required new definitions to be set. Stemming from these definitions were other issues relating to "ownership" of any item defined as "SOFTWARE". These included and I quote.. [1] Intellectual property protection for screen display. [2] Home copying,backups and swaps. [3] Adaption of computer programs to/for new machines. [4] Allowing reverse engineeering of software as in semi-conductors. [5] Parallel importing. [6] Authorship and copyright ownership. [7] Computer generated works. [8] Wheather the term of protection should be for 50 years or the life of the author. [9] Rights over data stored in databases, including legal opinons. Bottom line time: While most of us will admit at some time or other we have seen/had/used pirated software <I do not just mean Atari software here either!>. Do the right thing and format those disks you suspect. It is better to format a disk, than have a disk format you though the courts of law! =============================== ST STack =============================== by Alice Amore DCOPY36.ARC Programmers: Ralph Walden/Larry Novak *SHAREWARE* (plus DCOPY SHELL) -------------------------------------- DCOPY, the old stalwart, was first written by Ralph Walden, and has been frequently and consistently upgraded by Larry Novak (who continues to show a special sensitivity to users' needs). DCOPY's various functions can be run from a DOS-like menu, although a command line is available, as is a GEM interface (more about this later). Although DCOPY is able to handle many picky details that aren't options in any other program, it does handle the more common ones very well. Files can be copied, moved, erased, renamed, hidden, un/locked. Folders can be created, disks can be formatted, text files can be examined, 8-bit text files can be converted, and much, much more. But DCOPY's shining light is its manipulation of ARChives. It is said to be faster than any other ARChiver, and it has a devoted following among ST'ers who have sworn by it for years. Judging from the documentation, this version of DCOPY (3.6) has been extensively overhauled. Most of the bugs occurred rarely, and only under certain circumstances. They've been fixed. Some of the recent fixes/additions to DCOPY in this latest version (and including other recent versions) include the following: o Fixed: the bug in the "eXtract to folder" routine with files created with ARC 6.02. o Fixed: the packing bug. o Fixed: a bug in the "save file" feature within the [T]ype command. o Fixed: 'Delete folder' command. o Fixed: a bug in the 'delete file within an ARCed file' when using the item selector box. o Fixed: bug in buffer routines. Any file can be ARCed for deARCed no matter how much free memory is in the buffer. o Fixed: 'Change working directory' now works properly. Default paths for the file selector box can now be set quickly. o Fixed: a bug in the 'search directory' command. Directory searches can now be written to a disk file. o When viewing text files using the [T]ype function, you can now use the mouse or the cursor keys. o Requests for non-existent files will not upset the program. o Format routines have been completely rewritten. Mega ROM format (with new ROMs) is now supported. o Copy functions rewritten. Any non-protected disk (including those with extended formats) can now be copied accurately. o Mouse and GEM file selector box work properly. o Print from the current screen to the end of a text file. o Buffer routines are now "legal". o The UNDO key can be used to exit the program quickly. o New command added: "-S" lets you store a file to a new/old ARCed file without compaction. o The [T]ype command will now continue to search for a word after it has been found within text. o In PRG mode, the last path is now remembered. o While viewing a text file, you can now use the print option. Print either one screen's worth, or the whole file. o CLR/HOME can now toggle between GEM and TOS modes. o The [T]ype command now checks for the presence of a printer. o When viewing a disk directory or the contents of an ARCed file, you can now pause/resume the display. o Date stamps within an ARCed file can now be preserved. o The display of a verbose listing of an ARChive has been prettied up. o DCOPY is now about 2K smaller. o Files of 0 bytes will now ARC. o The [S]pace command will now give the correct info on disks having only 1 sector per cluster. o You can now cancel ARCing a file before choosing the file to ARC. o In the PRG mode, you'll now get the file selector box for indicating the location of the extracts. o Hitting HELP will bring up the Alternate Menu. o You can now copy to standard output (printer or screen). o The "Where Is" command is now case-independent. o Extracts to RAMdisks that won't handle odd address writes. o File selector box is toggled on/off with the INSERT key. o Status of DCOPY (TOS or GEM mode) is now shown in the Alternate Menu. o Menus have been changed and rearranged. o Now supports extracting to a folder automatically with the ALT-Z command. o With one command you can send a verbose listing of an ARCed file to disk or printer. o The GEM and destination selector box are easier to use. o Correct display for WordWriter ST files. o UnSquashes files that were squashed with ARC 5.12. If you still find DCOPY awkward to use, please see DCOPYSHL, below. The author wishes to thank Paul Lee, Keith Gerdes, and Michael Vederman for their help. DCOPYSHL DCOPY SHELL is a GEM menu-based program which acts as a front end for DCOPY. It uses less than 10K. All DCOPY menu selections are available from drop-down menus. Additionally, GEM's Desk Menu is there, allowing you to use desk accessories while within the program. (DCOPYSHL *is included* within the ARCed file of DCOPY36.ARC.) Since he didn't write the original DCOPY, Larry Novak can't accept shareware fees. But Keith Gerdes can charge a fee for his SHELL, since he wrote it. A deal has thus been struck whereby shareware registration fees will be shared by Keith Gerdes AND Larry Novak. Sounds like a good deal. ----------------------- Hey, folks, this must've been Charles Johnson/Albert Baggetta week on GEnie. There were lots of ST goodies from both gentlemen (although in the case of Charles Johnson, some would contend that *every* week is CFJ week.) ---------------------- DESKSW11.ARC Programmer: Charles F. Johnson *SHAREWARE* ------------------------------- Desk Switch (The Ultimate Read-Only Control Panel) is now at version 1.1. It is a small utility which allows you to switch quickly from one destop set-up to another. The advantages of Desk Switch are that it uses only 1K of code, and it doesn't stay resident. You can load and install a new .INF file whenever desired. The disadvantages are that it eats memory, and you must make a lot of individual adjustments by hand. From an .INF file, Desk Switch can read and set the following parameters: o The name and position of every desktop icon, including drive icons and the trash can. o The position and status of GEM windows. o Screen colors. o Printer settings. o RS232 settings. o Blitter on/off. o Key repeat/delay, bell, and keyclick on/off settings. o Mouse response rate. o List of installed applications in the .INF file. If you own CodeHead's HOTWIRE, you can pass your .INF files from HOTWIRE to Desk Switch and be able to install set-ups with either a keyclick or a single keypress. DMPRESET.ARC Programmer: Charles F. Johnson ------------------------------- If you've been searching for the Desk Manager 3.3 Preset Editor, be aware that it was inadvertently omitted from the latest upgrade of Desk Manager. Here it is. It's version 1.2. COLLECTR.ARC Programmer: Albert Baggetta *SHAREWARE* ---------------------------- The Collector is a coin/stamp database for the novice-to-intermediate coin/stamp collector, although the way in which this database is set up would make it suitable for classifying many other types of collections. An easy-to-use interface allows entry on date, worth, source, identification, millions issued, condition, and value. With a little imagination, these headings can be mentally adjusted for most other collections. Your data can be added and searched. Your .DAT files will be editable with any word processor. ZEEK_ZAK.ARC Programmer: Albert Baggetta *SHAREWARE* ---------------------------- Zeek and Zak are two little Dr. Seuss-like characters who run around on a grid-like playing board trying to wend their way to the top. The gameplay bears some resemblance to "Shoots and Ladders". Along the way, Z. & Z. fall through trap doors, take detours, and so fourth. If you're an adult, you'll enjoy putting the game on automatic so you can just watch. If you're a child, you'll enjoy playing against an opponent, although all you can really "do" is click on the button that determines the number of squares you may advance. =============================== MODIFYING PAGESTREAM'S BOOKMAN "i" AND "j" DOTS =============================== by James "Kibo" Parry 5/30/90 72347,2731 (Compuserve) kibo@pawl.rpi.edu (Internet) userfe0n at rpitsmts (Bitnet) This file is an explanation of how to edit the PageStream "Bookman" outline font (sold on font disk 3) to raise the "altitude" of the dots on the lowercase "i" and "j". No font editor is needed--but you need a DISK editor that will let you modify sectors in hexadecimal. This editing will do nothing to the file except move those two dots slightly--no character widths will be altered, or anything else. DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible if you do strange things to the disk with your disk editor (please follow the instructions below very carefully.) I am not connected with the Soft-Logik company in any way. 1.) Make a copy of BOOK.DMF. I suggest working from a copy made from an unmodified version--if you have already edited BOOK.DMF, the items you need to change below will be in different places. 2.) Start your disk editor. Tell it to open the BOOK.DMF file. Note whether it calls the first sector of the file #0 or #1! 3.) Go to the 31st sector in the file (this will be #30 if your editor calls the first sector #0.) Change your editor's display mode from ASCII to HEX if you need to. 4.) Check to make sure the sector starts with "03 4E 00 04" and ends with "02 8D 01 F5". If it doesn't, either your file is different than my original BOOK.DMF, or else you're on the wrong sector. 5.) Find the area in the sector that says "40 00 18 01 92" (it starts at the 343rd byte in the sector). The "40" in that region is the first number you will be changing. Here are the changes you will be making in this sector: ORIGINAL CHANGED (blank means no change) 40 00 00 18 01 92 01 F3 B3 02 06 01 F3 B3 02 06 02 40 00 00 18 02 06 02 8D 4D 01 92 02 8D 4D 01 92 02 40 00 6.) If you've done this right (and if I've done this right), you've just raised the dot on the "i" by 64 of PageStream's internal units. (The bytes we changed were the vertical coordinates. All that code was just for one little dot.) Now for the "j"... 7.) Near the end of the same sector--starting at byte #485--is a region that says "42 00 18 01 F5 01". We will start editing with the "42". ORIGINAL CHANGED (blank means no change) 42 02 00 18 01 F5 01 F0 B0 02 69 01 F0 B0 02 69 02 42 02 00 18 02 69 02 8D 4D 01 F5 02 8D 4D 8.) The last byte you changed should have been two bytes away from the last byte in the sector, if all went well. This sector is finished and should be written to the disk. 9.) A little of the "j"'s data goes into the next sector, so tell the disk editor to advance one sector. This sector (the 32nd, or #31 in some editors) should begin with "02 42 00 04". 10.) Change the "42" to "02" and write this sector to the disk. You're now done. At this point, you should decide to do one or the other of these: A.) Delete the old version of BOOK.DMF from the disk you have your fonts installed on, and put the new version in its place, or B.) If you want BOTH versions of Bookman installed in PageStream, you should use the PageStream font converter to change the name of the modified font and the ID number (this means keeping a modified .FM for the new version, and possibly screen fonts too.) If you want to use this font on a Postscript printer that has the "standard" Bookman built in, change the new version's name and ID number and then create a downloadable .PS and .PSF font. Let me know if you have any problems. I checked this document and I hope that all the numbers are typed correctly. James "Kibo" Parry =============================== PD/SHAREWARE STop =============================== by Mark Quinn File name: GINETERM.LZH Author: Scott Foust Program name: G.I.M.E. Terminal File type: Application ================================ It's impossible to 'review' a demo. The reviewer lacks a manual, some of the features necessary for the review have been disabled, so about all I can do is highlight what I do find, and let you decide for yourself whether this file is worth the price of a download. At best, it's a dubious proposition, but someone has to do it. G.I.M.E. (I keep thinking there should be a second "m") stands for "Graphic Interface Modem Environment", and is apparently a means of transmitting graphics at high speeds over a modem. Some of the features of the text menu are: Normal, Bold, Italic, Outline, Underline, Block (including Cut, Copy, Paste, Delete, Print, and Send), Find, Replace, Import, Export, Margin, and Scroller. Some of the graphical menu features are: Fill, Box, Circle, Polly, Arc, Graphic Text (including Bold, Italic, Outline, Underline), Color (default background color), Fill Pattern (thirty-six available), Line Thickness, Snap, Trace (calls up the item selector so that a PI2-format picture file can be loaded), and Edit (calls up another menu containing the following: Size, Copy, Move, Delete, Default Colors, Fill Pattern, Line Thickness, Front, Back, Next, and Previous). Some of the pull-down menu features are: The File menu: Disk Utilities (including Select Drive, Directory, Free Disk Space, Create Folder, Rename File, Delete File, Format Disk), Load Capture, Save Capture, Merge Capture, Save in ASCII, Save Configuration, Load Configuration, Run Program. Transfer menu: Upload, Download, X-Modem GME. Configure menu: Dialer, Modem, Emulation (GIME Term, VT-52), Transfer, Printer (including Top Margin, Page Length, Bottom Margin, Character attributes), Function Keys, Default Colors, Date/Time. Capture menu: Select Capture, Capture On, Capture Off, Clear Capture. Help menu: Contains help for the above menus. Granted, I haven't offered much of an explanation of the above features. Some of them are disabled, and the help menus only go so far. You can "Load Capture" and take a look at the snazzy graphics screens by scrolling through them (click on the down arrow on the "Message" selection) a page at a time. All said, one can toodle around with the available options for quite a while. File name: PITCHPIP.LZH Author: James D. Kleiser Program name: PITCHPIPE File type: Application =============================== PITCHPIPE is a tuning aid for guitarists who use standard tuning. PITCHPIPE is perfectly usable in medium resolution, but looks much better on a monochrome monitor. The program is straightforward enough, but those among us without near x-ray vision may have to "squint for hints" on how to operate it on a color monitor. All of PITCHPIPE's features can be used via the mouse or keyboard. The user can deviate from standard tuning by a half-step up or down, choose between a steady tone and that of a plucked string, 'strum' up or down through the strings, or just click on the appropriate icon or key until each string is in tune. You can't put PITCHPIPE in your pocket, but if you're practicing at home (if you have a STacy, you could presumably take PITCHPIPE on the road), assuming you don't suffer from (Rin Tin) tin ear syndrome, you can quickly polish your axe. Quinn's Quickies" MUMMY.ARC Shareware from Albert Baggetta. Game of chance. This "mummy" doesn't exactly bake cookies. You're on an archaeological expedition, Indi' (Dr. Golana), and must solve various puzzles in a tomb beneath a pyramid. On the first screen, the player matches symbols. The hard level is quite difficult. Even on the easy level, you're bound to get sent back to the start of the game many, many times. KV_ME2ND.ARC Shareware. Educational game, for children 2-6 years. Arrange pictures in the proper sequence (sort of like arranging a scrambled storyboard) to reveal an animation. Also has animations that help teach addition and subtraction. Good user interface. Music. A souped-up portion of an IQ test, but far less threatening. CLICK.LZH Are you tired of the usual keyclick sound from your monitor? Replace it with a number of digitized sounds. I wanted to give this program more attention (as in a full review above), but didn't have the requisite SND files. If you do, you should give this file a look and a listen. Even if you don't, a disk full of SND files (and other STuff) can be ordered from the programmer for $15. =============================== TICK TOCK CLOCK =============================== Press Release Innovative Concepts (I.C.) 31172 Shawn Drive Warren, MI 48093 USA Phone: (313) 293-0730 BBS: (313) 978-1685 GEnie: I.C. CompuServe: 76004,1764 We at I.C. are pleased to announce our latest new entry into the ST/Mega/STE market; The Tick - Tock Clock. Just another clock you say? Read on.... Time is money, and with a $39.95 suggested retail price, your time is easy to keep track of. Features -------- * Solderless, Plug-In Installation! * 2 - Ways To Use - Internal Or External (cartridge board only $10 more) (for internal on STE, please call for information) * Very Flexible Software - Show Time/Date Where You Want, When You Want. * Includes Both .PRG And .ACC Software Versions. * Boot Program Uses Less Than 1K! * Supports Multiple Clock Modules - Up To 10! (Excellent for world time zones, experiments, event timing, and more!) * Clock Is Accurate To 1 Minute Per Month! * Tracks: Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Day Of Month, Month, And Year. (future software update will also support hundreths of seconds!) * Forget About Batteries To Change - Includes 10 Year Lithium Battery! Ordering Information - All in U.S. funds ---------------------------------------- USA/APO/FPO - Include $4 S&H. COD is $3.50 extra (USA only) Canada/ Mexico - Add $7 S&H. All other countries - Add $10 S&H. Note: We have MANY other products for the Atari 8-bits & ST lines. For our latest Catalog (included with orders), send a S.A.S.E. (business size). Or, you can download it (in ASCII text form) from our sections on; CompuServe, GEnie, or our own product support BBS. Dealer, Distributor, and User Group Inquiries Welcome! This text file may be freely distributed, as long as it remains intact, unchanged. =============================== FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE "TT" IN CANADA =============================== (C) 1990 by Darek Mihocka, June 4, 1990. Well, today was the day Atari Canada made it's big debut of the TT at a downtown Toronto hotel. Free food too. You'll probably be hearing a lot about it in the next few days (the TT, not the food) and it'll be interesting to see how soon the promises start getting broken. As expected, the machine is not available yet, and is supposed to ship later this year. As of today, TT's are available to developers in Canada, and dealers can expect a few for demo purposes by the end of August, with real shipments starting in fourth quarter. The press release states "The Atari TT is scheduled for Canada-wide release in fall of 1990". The invitation talked about a "North American" debut, so I don't know what that means for the U.S. market. Probably 1993. The retail price is $3995.00 Canadian, (that's about $3395.00 U.S). That includes 2Meg of RAM and a 40 meg hard drive. Add from $200 to $1000 for a monitor, depending on which one you get. The floppy disk drive is still IBM comptible, now supporting the 1.44M format. The machine supports 6 screen resolutions, including the original 3 from the ST, plus a 1280x960 Moniterm mode, a 640x480 16 color VGA mode, and a 256 color 320x480 mode. The color monitor being used at the time, an Atari TTC30 or something was capable of supporting everything but the Moniterm mode. The desktop in VGA mode looked quite good, comparable to a Mac II desktop or a Windows desktop on a VGA monitor. The display was crisp and free of any interference. The TT has the 4096 color palette of the STE, as well as the 8-bit stereo sound, making it a machine ready for multimedia applications. The TOS running in this machine was still TOS 3.0, 03/01/90 version. The real TOS for the TT is supposed to be 2.0, and it's supposed to be a lot faster than 3.0. I ran Quick Index on the TT just to see the kind of performance I'd get. With the cache on, the CPU numbers are between about 350% to 500%, and with the cache off, about 30% slower. What this means is that in terms of raw processing speed, the TT can run 68000 code about 3, 4 or 5 times faster than an 8MHz ST or STE. I tried some sample software which I had earlier timed on my STE, and found the increase to be consistently about a factor of 3. All the Atari reps were emphasizing the speed. Calamus was being displayed, and the TT flyer and press release were both riddled with references to DynaCADD, and a 6 page DynaCADD brochure was included with the press release. The explanation given was that Atari wants to demonstrate that the machine is a full blown CAD workstation, and can run existing ST CAD packages. Once software like Calamus and DynaCADD is recompiled for the 68030, it will run even faster. All of the documentation presented was created with Calamus, and the press release mentions that Calamus running on the TT prints three times faster than any other package. It doesn't mention which other packages, but goes on to say that DynaCADD running on the TT is 2 to 10 times faster than Autocad running on a 386 based machine. Atari is also working with an unnamed third party to develop a software PC emulator that runs at the speed of an AT. And I'm sure another unnamed third party is busy on a Mac II emulator. The TT also comes with an Appletalk interface (gee, I wonder why!), MIDI ports, VME slot, 2 serial ports expandable to 4 (hey sysops, imagine the possibilites!), and SCSI and ACSI. The machine is certainly set up to communicate with the rest of the world. UNIX, X Windows, and Ethernet support are listed in the "Future Support" category of the spec sheet. Hopefully this isn't being handled by the same department that was responsible for getting the STacy and STE to US markets last year. The thing that I found quite odd with the TT is that with all the nifty hardware built in, this machine does NOT have a blitter chip. The last thing I would have expected in a machine that's being presented as a powerful graphics workstation is that all graphics operations are being performed by software, and by TOS 3.0 of all things. This TOS, I'm told, is almost identical to the TOS 1.6 currently installed in STEs, which as we all know, is almost the same thing as TOS 1.4, just slightly faster. TOS 2.0 is supposed to change all that and really be fast, but I seriously doubt that they'll whip together something by August, given that TOS has already been worked on for 5 years. So, back to Quick Index I went and benchmarked the screen performance. Someone at the presentation had mentioned that you could load in a DynaCADD file with 10,000 objects and watch them redraw REALLY fast. Well, the numbers I got from Quick Index, for example, in medium resulotion, gave the TT a GEM index of 166% relative to the STE. That's about 180% relative to a Mega ST. So in other words, the TT, running TOS 1.4 (or close enough to it) on a 68030 was not even twice as fast as an 8MHz 68000 with blitter support. Take away the blitter and you're slightly over 200%. However, take into account that you can drop in Jim Allen's T16 accelerator board into almost any ST, and for $300 give yourself a 50% speed boost. That cuts the lead of the TT down to about 30% at best for screen redraws, and about 200% for general CPU operations. Needless to say, I wasn't kidding last week when I said that an ST running Quick ST blows away the TT in screen performance. Text operations gave similar results, and about the only screen operation the TT was good at was VT52 scrolling. That's due to the 32- bit data bus of the 68030 compared to the 68000's 16-bit bus. Don't forget also that there will be the usual incompatibility problems with older ST software. You think TOS 1.4 compatiblity was bad. Wait till they try running the stuff on a 68030! So, the TT is a nifty machine, and for only $4000 you can emulate an AT and run UNIX as well. I should say "you'll be able to...". I still have bad memories of the 1450XLD and 260ST. You all remember the 260ST? The original ST, until they actually tried to put it together and realized they couldn't make TOS run on 256K. Hopefully TOS 2.0 will run on 2 meg! But in all fairness, since this information was presented by ATARI CANADA, in Canada, and was not just another Sunnyvale stab in the dark about what they might ship in 3 years, I have faith that Atari Canada will deliver as promised. They delivered on the STE and STacy and CD-ROM, so all I can say is that I'm glad I'm not in the US. About 6 months ago, I was wetting my pants and then some over the STE. Not so for the TT, at least not yet. It's out of the price range of most casual ST users, and as an ST compatible machine, offers less than a doubling of power for more than double the price of, say, a Mega ST 2. Sure the TT specific software written for the 68030 will be faster, but that will mean buying a whole new set of software. I think what will probably evolve will be some sort of a 68030 upgrade for existing STs (c'mon Dave!), similar to the kind of upgrades we saw a few years ago for converting 8088 machine to 80286 machines. I've already got 3 STs and 2 monitors, I don't need more. I would much rather pay $1000 or more to upgrade my 4 meg STE to a 4 meg STE/030 instead of shelling out another $4000 for something only slightly better. The TT will still hopefully sell well in the business market. The hardware is certainly there and at the right price. Perhaps not as fast as we'd like to believe, but the same hype existed with the 386 chip. Perhaps the TT will follow the same path as 386 machines, and a year or two from now we'll see a more affordable TT working its way into the home market replacing the then obsolete 68000 based STs. Well, that's the way I see it anyway. - Darek ======================================================================= Z*Staff Z*Net Atari Online Magazine --------------------------- Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs Editor/Senior Correspondent: John Nagy Assistant Editor: Alice Amore Columnist: Mark Quinn Columnist: Jon Clarke Z*Net Atari Newsletter ---------------------- Publisher: Ron Kovacs Editor: John Nagy Advertising Manager: John King Tarpinian User Group Coordinator: Robert Ford Layout/Distribution: Bruce Hansford Z*Net Mechanics Online Magazine ------------------------------- Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs Publisher/Editor: Bruce Kennedy Columnist: Eric Gove ======================================================================= ======================================================================= Z*Net Atari Online Magazine is a weekly released publication covering the Atari community. Opinions and commentary presented are those of the individual authors and do not reflect those of Rovac Industries. Z*NET and Z*NET ONLINE are copyright 1990 by Rovac Industries. Reprint permission is granted as long as Z*NET ONLINE, Issue Number and author is included at the top of the article. Reprinted articles are not to be edited without permission. ======================================================================= ======================================================================= ZNET ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE Atari News FIRST! Copyright (c)1990 Rovac Industries, Inc.. =======================================================================