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Text File | 1991-04-05 | 67.6 KB | 1,414 lines

=========(((((((((( ==========((( ==(( ==((((((( ==(((((((( =========== ================(( ====(( ====(((( =(( ==(( ==========(( ============== =============(( =====(((((( ==(( (( (( ==((((( =======(( ============== ==========(( ==========(( ====(( =(((( ==(( ==========(( ============== ========((((((((((( ==========(( ==((( ==((((((( =====(( ============== ** SPECIAL EDITION ** Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE Issue #91-13, Volume 7, Number 13 April 5, 1991 Copyright (c)1989, 1990, 1991, Rovac Industries, Inc. ======================================================================= EDITORS DESK ------------ by Ron Kovacs ======================================================================= This is a special edition of Z*Net. This week we have an exclusive interview with Alwin Stumph by Z*Net Germany's Mike Schuetz. Also, we have the first press release information from the upcoming CEPS show in Chicago. This is Part 1 of 2. We are sending belated birthday wishes to Bob Brodie, Atari Corporation User Group Services Manager. Happy Birthday Robert!! I bet you thought we forgot!!!! Next week, a full exclusive eyewitness report from Z*Net Correspondents at the CEPS show and hopefully some interesting pictures are coming, so stay tuned to the online services and the Z*Net BBS for the latest CEPS information! Thanks for reading!!! ======================================================================= EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ALWIN STUMPH AND RICHARD MILLER -------------------------------------------------------- by Christian Strasheim and Michael Schuetz ======================================================================= courtesy of Germany's ATARI PD JOURNAL translated by Kevin Festner for Z*NET During CeBit 91, we had the opportunity to talk with Alwin Stumph, Managing Director of Atari Germany and President of Atari Worldwide Sales and Marketing, and Richard Miller, Chief of R & D with Atari USA. PD JOURNAL: A question on your role at Atari, Mr Stumph. In the last few months there has been some confusion concerning your area of responsibility. What is it all about? Alwin Stumph: My range of responsibility concerns all of Atari's divisions, including the U.S. That means my role in the U.S. is practically the same as in Holland, Austria, or Germany. The section heads report to me. PD: What is the policy at Atari concerning video games, particularly with the Lynx? AS: There is a another Lynx model that differs merely in the design from the current model. CeBit is not a forum for this product, and because of that, we displayed only a few for entertainment. A renaissance has taken place in video games. In the last year, in Germany alone, we have sold 250,000 video games, without expending a lot of effort. It wouldn't be prudent to abandon this market. PD: Will Atari distinguish itself from its video game line, and like Commodore, show and sell them separately? AS: We're divided on that already, the funds and sales are divided. PD: How do you evaluate the market for Windows in the U.S.? Due to its cryptic user interface, DOS machines up to now posed no direct competition for the ST. Microsoft has really pushed Windows. 20 million packages have been sold and of course, this speaks for itself. Does Windows pose any threat for Atari? AS: I can't assess it at this time. In fact, I have the feeling, this competition will stimulate business, as so frequently happens. We are not the only ones employing a graphical user interface. The desktop is becoming a standard and due to this it might make selling a bit easier. PD: What's the story on the Portfolio? At the press conference we learned that a RAM extension, for example, would be very expensive, bringing the Portfolio into the price range of the Notebook. Do I understand that the originally planned redesign will not be carried out? AS: In this respect the market has changed a little, as you approach the price of the Notebook. And the Portfolio as a lap-top computer does not make any more sense. Atari prefers to approach this market from above, so to speak. PD: And that's the key concept here. To what extent will the hardware have similarities to the current ST? Richard Miller: The ST-Book will embody two custom chips already used in the STE. In addition, we will be installing a lot of new hardware in both new models. About 30 discreet CMOS chips will use special 'Power Management' allowing the optimal use of battery capacity. We will also equip the existing production models with these discrete chips, since they have less power consumption than newer chips. We're talking about micro-amps. The power consumption of a CMOS chip in standby-mode amounts to perhaps 10 micro-amps. That corresponds to two electrons per second. PD: What does that have to do with pseudo-static RAM? RM: Pseudo-static RAM is primarily dynamic RAM with some intelligent logic chips added. Addressing is carried out in parallel and is not normally multiplexed. And because of that, the chip has more pins than dynamic RAM. In addressing a specific point in memory, fewer parts of the chips are activated than with dynamic RAM. In concrete terms that means that in a 16 bit data bus, only two pseudo-static RAM chips with an 8 bit bus must be addressed, and with dynamic RAM 4 or 16 chips must be addressed. Furthermore pseudo-static RAM has a self-refresh mode without necessitating an external refresh. In this mode pseudo-static RAM needs about ten times as much current as static RAM and the contents in memory can be stored over months. PD: The external storage card in the ST Pad is certainly interesting news. Who will offer the cards and at what price? RM: The specifications for this card and especially for the 68 pin mechanical connector comes from a firm by the name of JEIDA and has already become standardized. These cards come equipped with static RAM and can offer a storage capacity of up to 4 MBytes. Principly, they can be equipped with any type storage, even with ROM, so that a complete application can be offered. There are about eight suppliers of such cards and the price will certainly fall to such an extent that I really don't want to speculate on the cost. In addition, these card can not only be fitted with memory. I know a company who offers a modem on this type of card. That means there is a complete system bus on the connector. PD: At first report the ST Pad will not be offered with a hard-drive. It this decision final? RM: Hard drives are very sensitive at the moment. The head flies over the surface of the platter at a distance of a few microns. Anytime such a mechanical contrivance is used there is a high risk of damage. We need to look around more for a hard drive to equip the ST Pad which can offer a certain level of reliability. But I'm not convinced whether the ST Pad requires a hard drive. The use we have envisioned for the ST Pad is that it can manage well without a hard drive. I'm more interested in offering a radio modem and a hard drive, which can send data over packet radio. Atari is working with other firms on the development of such a modem. PD: Do you think it will be possible to equip it with such a modem, especially in Germany? RM: That will certainly be difficult. In the U.S, the F.C.C. reserves certain frequencies for such uses. Radio modems can be purchased, for example, from Motorola. The German Postal Service is the big problem here. PD: Finally a question on which we really don't expect an answer. At the press conference last night, there was a question from the audience regarding the Multi-tasking TOS. Leonard Tramiel and you, Mr. Miller, responded by smiling. What should we read from this smile? AS: It has never been a secret that Atari is moving towards multi- tasking. We have entered into discussions with major software firms in Dusseldorf on this subject. And in time we will be working on it. And with every new TOS version, an upgrade to multitasking TOS will be possible. PD: Can we count on this TOS being ready for release sometime this year? AS: Perhaps. PD: Mr. Miller, Mr. Stumph, thank you for this informative interview. ======================================================================= Z*NET NEWSWIRE -------------- ======================================================================= APPLE IIE CARD Apple Computer has begun accepting orders for the new optional card on Feb. 25, 1990, and will begin shipping orders by the end of March 1991. The Apple II card has a suggested retail price of $199 and takes full advantage of the Macintosh LC computer's peripherals, including the monitor, keyboard, floppy drive and mouse. The new card comes with 128K (RAM) and can use up to 1MB of the Macintosh LC personal computer's RAM. The card also features a floppy disk drive controller and connector ports, allowing customers to connect to a 5.25-inch floppy disk drive and an Apple joystick. ATARI PLANNING FACTORY IN ISRAEL Atari is planning to set up a huge multi-million dollar factory to build computers in Israel, according to the Israeli Trade and Industry Ministry. Investment costs are expected to total 150 million dollars, which will be shared by Atari and the Israeli government. The factory will initially create 600 jobs, mostly for engineers and could rise to 1,000 in five years with an annual turnover of 150 million dollars. TOSHIBA SHIPS MATRIX COLOR LAPTOP Toshiba announced this week that its T3200SXC color Portable Desktop computer is now shipping. The T3200SXC is the industry's first portable computer to incorporate full VGA-compatible active matrix color display technology, providing the functionality of a desktop machine without the limitations of a deskbound system. EPSON ADDS FONTS/FEATURES Epson is now shipping enhanced versions of three dot-matrix printers, the LQ-510, LQ-850 and LQ-1050. The enhancements include additional letter-quality fonts, automatic single-sheet loading, an expanded front control panel and, on the LQ-510 only, faster print speeds. The LQ-510 is a 24-pin, 80-column printer with a retail price of $499. The LQ-850, an 80-column printer, and LQ-1050, a 136 column printer, have retail prices of $749 and $1,099 respectively. VERBUM CD MAGAZINE Verbum announced the mid-April availability of "Verbum Interactive 1.0," a CD magazine which features a showcase of animation and interactive multimedia works, interactive columns and feature stories, with music from popular musicians Todd Rundgren and Graham Nash, and several recognized electronic music composers. The 2-disc "Verbum Interactive" edition requires a CD-ROM player and a Macintosh II color computer, and sells for $49.95. Verbum will launch a regular quarterly subscription service to the magazine in early 1992, for both Macintosh and MS-DOS/ Windows systems. For more information contact, Verbum (619) 233-9977. BORLAND SHIPS POWER PACK Borland announced this week the ProView Power Pack, a collection of graphic enhancements designed for users of Borland's Quattro Pro 3.0, the new WYSIWYG version of Borland's high-end spreadsheet. The ProView Power Pack provides additional clip art, fonts, macros and other presentation materials to augment those already found in Quattro Pro. Both the ProView Power Pack and Quattro Pro 3.0 began shipping on Wednesday, March 27, 1991. The ProView Power Pack will be included free in the $495 retail price version of Quattro Pro 3.0. Users upgrading to Quattro Pro 3.0 from Quattro Pro 1.0, 2.0 or from competitive high-end spreadsheets, may purchase the ProView Power Pack for $49.95. MICROCOM UNVEILS VIREX Microcom announced this week the Virex Appleshare Installer, which allows a network manager to easily update Virex anti-virus software over a network of Macintosh computers. Using the Installer, network managers review a log to determine which network users have the latest version of Virex. The Virex INIT can be pre-configured and locked in each user's system folder and password protected to prevent tampering. The Virex Installer resides on any Appleshare server. It automatically loads the latest version of Virex and the Virex INIT and removes outdated versions when the user double clicks on the Installer icon. The INIT is installed in the system folder while user name, date, and time of installation go into a comprehensive log file easily accessed by the network manager. IBM TO CUT WORK FORCE IBM said Thursday, March 28, 1999 that it would reduce its total work force by 14,000 in 1991. No layoff plans were announced, and, as with its previous job reduction programs, IBM offered substantial incentives for early retirement or voluntary departure. IBM's current work force amounts to about 373,000 people worldwide, including about 206,000 people in the United States. It is the first time the company is proposing to include its overseas staff in a major work force reduction plan. COMMODORE LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE PRODUCT Commodore introduced this week the first interactive multimedia product. The CDTV player, an Interactive Multimedia product that combines audio, video, graphics and text into a component, that will be available at audio/video retail chains in Los Angeles, San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, Sacramento, Calif., and Chicago on April 19 followed by New York, Boston, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Dallas and Denver in May. The CDTV player, which resembles a conventional audio compact disc player, connects to a television set and home audio system to become an interactive education, information and entertainment center. A simple hand-held infrared remote control provides access to an entire library of multimedia educational, entertainment, information and reference titles. During the introductory, 50 CDTV multimedia titles will be available, with more than a hundred planned. The CDTV library will consist of titles developed by leading entertainment and reference companies including Grolier, Guinness, Disney Software and LucasFilm. SPA RELEASES "HITS LIST" The Software Publishers Association announced this week the top-selling video games and MS-DOS computer games for February, 1991. In the category of MS-DOS computer games, Sierra On-Line again tops the list with King's Quest V as the number one selling game. SimEarth published by Maxis, jumped from the number nine spot to number two. Red Baron, published by Sierra On-Line, moved from number two in January to the number three spot in February. MicroProse, Orgin, Microsoft round out the top ten selling software packages. Software Publishers Broderbund, Microsoft, Sierra On-Line and MicroProse each have three games on the chart. New on the hits list for February are programs from Konami and Electronic Arts. In the video game category, Teenage Turtle-Arcade Game, published by Konami moved to the number one spot from number three in January. The Simpsons by Acclaim Entertainment appears in the number two spot and Super Mario Land moved from number nine in Janaury to number three in Febraury. Other publishers in the top 25 include Caoco, Electronic Arts, Enix, Acclaim Entertainment, Konami and Tecmo. ======================================================================= ATARI AT CEPS 1991 ------------------ PROFESSIONAL SYSTEMS GROUP'S DIRECT TO PRESS PUBLISHING SOLUTIONS ======================================================================= P R E S S R E L E A S E PART ONE The advent and evolution of desktop publishing has been a great benefit to the computing and the publishing communities. The technology has put design and production power in the hands of many enabled innumerable elegant designs, and enpowered creative as well as production artists. But until now, desktop publishing products have been subject to compromises in quality and output speed when put to the test in the most demanding professional situations. Most existing desktop publishing systems force users to compromise on the quality of photographic images or to use scanned images for position only--as placeholders for photos that must be stripped manually. And those systems require impractically long periods of time to process each image. The Direct To Press publishing solutions are designed to meet the highest quality and speed requirements, and to do so at very affordable costs. There products provide an array of options for compatibility with other computing and publishing standards, as well as in depth and breadth of capabilities. Complete Publishing Solutions. No Compromises. Direct To Press means no compromises: No compromises on speed, no compromises on achieving the best value and lowest cost, and no compromises on image quality. Direct To Press is a collection of hardware and software tools from a select group of manufacturers assembled and led by Professional Systems Group, a division of Atari Computer. The publishing software offered in these solutions is among the most innovative and exacting available on any popular computing platform. And it's designed for hardware that packs the power to support such advanced applications. ATARI TT030 Design and imagesetting workstations are based on versions of the Atari TT030, the company's most powerful computing platform. It features a 32MHz Motorola 68030 microprocessor with on-chip cache and memory management as well as a 68882 math coprocessor, 8MB of RAM expandable up to 26MB, an 80 MB hard disk, and a wide range of storage expansion options, including larger capacity hard disks and a removable Syquest cartridge drive. The system's built-in video processing includes support for a wide range of resolutions from 320 x 200 at 16 colors, or 320 x 480 at 256 colors to 640 x 480 with 16 colors on the PTC 1426 14" color monitor. All colors are chosen from a palette of 4096 colors. With the 19" TTM194 monochrome monitorm the system supports 1280 x 960 resolution without requiring an additional video board. The video system can access up to 10 MB of the system RAM. Suggested retail prices to be announced: Output for proofing purposes is provided by the 300 dot per inch Atari SLM605 laser printer. The SLM605 features a small footprint, high- quality output, and fast 6 page per minute operation. Suggested retail price to be announced. HELL SYSTEMS IMAGESETTER The Hell Systems imagesetter is capable of resolutions up to 3000 dpi. When used with the Image Speeder, only four (600, 800, 1200 and 2400 dpi) resolutions that result in the highest precision are used. The imagesetter produces 55mm of film per minute at 2400 dpi, 110mm/min at 1200 dpi, and 220mm/min at 600 dpi. Actual throughput depends on the raster processing technique and the use of the specialized support hardware. For futher information about Hell Systems imagesetters, contact: Linotype-Hell Ultre Division 145 Pinelawn Road Melville, New York 11747 (516) 753-4800 PAGESTREAM 2 Soft-Logik's PageStream 2 is an extremely powerful and versatile desktop publishing program with an intuitive user interface, and full support of the PostScript page description language. It imports and exports a wide variety of graphic and text formats, works with industry-standard type font families, and supports a large number of printing devices. The program can import and color separate 24-bit images, and supports spot or process color. PageStream 2 is equipped with a full complement of page layout tools and facilities for handling complex books up to 1000 pages in length. It is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of users, from hobbists to professionals. PageStream 2 can display AGFA Compugraphic's Intellifont hinted outline fonts, or the Adobe Type 1 IBM format, using font point sizes from .02 to 183,000 points with variable horizontal and verticle point size on the screen as well as print them out on a wide variety of PostScript (and non-PostScript) printers. PageStream 2 exhibits impressive flexibility: It can create documents of any page size up to 400 feet by 400 feet, control tracking to .0001 of an em, leading to .01 points, and kerning to .0001 of an em. It can draw and edit Bezier curves, support an unlimited number of columns per page with text routing between columns in any order, easily bleed objects off the edge of a page, flow text arounf irregular shaped graphics, crop pictures, view or print pages at 15 - 1500% magnification, and rotate or twist any text or graphic. Suggested retail price is $299.95. For futher information about PageStream 2, contact: Soft-Logik Post Office Box 290070 St. Louis, MO 63129 (314) 894-8608 or (800) 829-8608 CALAMUS SL / tms CRANACH STUDIO CALAMUS SL Widely acclaimed Calamus Sl from ISD Marketing features true WYSIWYG, fast printing speeds, and extensive color support. Calamus SL takes a modular approach to incorporating features for image management, graphic design, text processing, illustration, font editing, and autotracing. The program uses proprietary outline font technology to produce identical results on both the screen and the printer. Fonts can be scaled from 0.1 to 999.9 in tenth of a point increments. Text and graphics can be rotated 360 degrees, Text can be formatted around irregular objecs. Calamus SL can have up to seven documents loaded simultaneously, and select multiple files and multiple fonts for loading. Each object -- text, line, fill pattern, picture -- can take on any of up to 16.7 million colors. Users can specify colors either by simple RGB mixing method or by an external module such as Pantone. Calamus will create the necessary four films per page for color separations. Calamus SL's Mount & Print module enables large documents to be split into smaller pieces. Text attribute combinations can be saved as styles. Drivers for import and export functions are contained in external modules so that new ones can be added as the need arises. Suggested retail price is to be announced. CALAMUS OUTLINE ART Calamus Outline Art supplements Calamus SL and is a complete vector graphics editor for lines, Bezier curves, control paths, and other vector shapes. Calamus Outline Art can also generate freely definable raster areas. Text attributes include rastering, transparent, rotation, outlines, stretching, compression, and cursive styles. Text handling features enable circular text, text along a freely definable vector path, and kerning functions. Calamus Outline Art also includes as integrated fully-programmable calculator with a pre-defined and user- expandable library of transformations. Suggested retail price is $289.95. tms CRANACH STUDIO tms Cranach Studio is an electronic image manipulation program. It uses a modular format for functions and features, similar to the strategy followed by Calamus SL. tms Cranach Studio can import and export a wide array of graphic formats. It can even load color separations. tms Cranach Studio can simultaneously display up to six graphic screens with different picture formats--raster, grayscale, color, and vector. The program offers a zoom range of 100-800%, and it will zoom a vector image along a background. tms Cranach Studio is strong on color handling and separation. It can perform a 3-color separation based on CMY or RGB, or a 4-color separation. It can correct low color values, adjust adornment colors, manipulate gray balance, and even output the color separation as grayscale film. The Draw and Paint module offers lacquer, watercolor, crayon, airbrush textures, and other effects. Retouching functions include lightening or darkening, modifying the image with water or watercolor, finger- painting, or oil painting. tmc Vector Studio is an add-on module to tms Cranach Studio that provides a raster-to-vector (autotracing) and vector-to-raster conversion program that enables the user to work with halftones, bit maps, color and vector geometry. Suggested retail price is to be announced. CALAMUS SOFTRIPS Calamus SoftRIPs connect directly from the Atari TT030 to the Linotronic or AGFA CompuGraphic 9000 series imagestters. These proprietary raster image processors provide substantial speed and quality advantages over the competitive PostScript RIP. Suggested retail price of the Calamus SoftRIP is $3500.00, which includes a special version of Calamus SL. For futher information about the Calamus and tsm Cranach Studio line of products, contact: Nathan Potechin ISD Marketing, Inc. 2651 John Street, Unit 3 Markham, Ontario, Canada L3R 2W5 RETOUCHE/DIDOT The following group of publishing tools has been developed by 3K- ComputerBild and is published in North America by Goldleaf Publishing, Inc. The products share a focus on providing tools to meet the requirements of the most demanding lithograohy or typography professional, and most of the products use a propreitary technique of rasterizing the image within the application software, thereby removing the need for a separate raster image processor (RIP). (EDITORS NOTE: Next week we will complete this background press release from Atari. Also, look for a full eyewitness report from our staff currently enroute to the 1991 CEPS show in Chicago.) The following is a summary of the hardware and software to be shown at the show. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Atari TT030 Computing platform Professional Systems 32 MHz 68030, 8MB RAM Group. ( A division 80 MB HD, 1280 x 960 of Atari Corporation) monochrome monitor ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 3K Image Speeder Based on TT030, tower Goldleaf Publishing case, graphics co- developed by 3K- processor, screening ComputerBild processor, scanner and imagesetter interfaces ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Hell Systems Imagesetter 300-3000 dpi Linotype-Hell ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Page Layout PageStream 2 Soft-Logik Calamus SL ISD Marketing Didot Professional Goldleaf Publishing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Line Art Calamus Outline Art ISD Marketing Didot Line Art Goldleaf Publishing tms Vector Studio ISD Marketing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Digital Image Processing Retouche Professional Goldleaf Publishing (grayscale) Retouche CD (color) Goldleaf Publishing tms Cranach Studio ISD Marketing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Character Recognition Sherlook Professional Goldleaf Publishing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Presentation Graphics SciGraph Goldleaf Publishing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Document Processing Wordflair II Goldleaf Publishing ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Agency Contact: Andy Marken Marken Communications, Inc. (408) 296-3600 Office (408) 296-3803 FAX (408) 732-9589 Home ======================================================================= Z*NET NEW ZEALAND Australia the forgotten Atari-land ---------------------------------- by Jon Clarke ======================================================================= The Hardware project How many times do you see the word "Australia" in an average day? Do you know where it is? That's right the little island off the west coast of New Zealand (opps). Remember the Kangaroos, Wombats, Koala Bears (look out for the "DROP BEARS"), Tasmanian Devils, and the millions of Sheep? Remember the Sydney Opera House, the Opal, the World Expo, Ozzie Rules, the outback, Crocodile Dundee, Mal Gibson, the Holden Motorcar, QANTAS ? If you answered no to one or more these do the following. Go and find your old atlas and a piece of tracing paper. Trace the out line of Australia onto the tracing paper with a pen or pencil. Right now we are ready for a little geography lesson. Overlay the tracing over your country. The realization If you are in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Chile, France, Germany, Sweden or the UK one thing will be perfectly clear to you. AUSTRALIA is a big nation! See how it covers your country with ease even on your little atlas or globe. With a population of some 15 million people I am happy to report Atari has a thriving market on its hands. Atari Australia. You may remember 12 months ago in Z*Net International I reported the pending release of the TT and the Atari specific show in Sydney Australia. Not to be out done by their past efforts Atari Australia has been a major "shaker and mover" in the home and business computing fields in the Australian PC market place. The past twelve months have seen many of the major retail firms stock the full Atari range of computers from the Portfolio to the STE. Now located in their new premises in North Ryde they are set to capture more of the Australian computer market. If this reads like a press release it is not. It is just that I was very impressed with Atari Australia's operation. Let me expand a little more on this The new offices of Atari Australia are located in the electronics area of Sydney. (Get the maps out) In an area called North Ryde, a few miles from the heart of down town Sydney. They are surrounded by giants like Sony and Dick Smith Electronics. "Who are Dick Smith Electronics ?" you ask. Well to me they are the guys with the biggest flag in Australia, and in 1985 on a trip to Sydney I remember this flag gracing the front room of several technicans from an opposition firm. With a large distribution network though out Australia and a very large warehouse adjacent to the administration block Atari Australia can have full hands on control of all their product. What impressed me the most was the attitude of _all_ the staff. From the time I first rang them their receptionist was only happy to direct my queries (unlike many other computer firms who's front line people seem to have _failed_ charm school). I was supposed to be there to meet Alastair Campion at 2pm last Monday, but work got in the way and I was running late. So a short phone call to say this, I was on the way. I arrived and was greeted with a cool blanket of air conditioned air. "Bliss" I thought as it was 27 degrees Celsius and very humid outside (who said it is cool in the fall in Australia?) As I was running a little late I overlapped with an other appointment of Alastairs so after a cup of well deserved coffee and a tour of the presentation room Alastair appeared from the upper levels of the complex. Up till now Michelle who a lot of you will know as Atari-OZ on the GEnie RTC's had been showing me around. I must confess it is nice to see the face behind the "fingers", and Michelle I take back all those Ozzie jokes (grin). Having been some twelve months since we had met face to face we had alot of "gossip" to catch up on and an other coffee or two. I was floored when I as taken upstairs and shown to a demo room that had a "TT 030" in bits for all to see and feel the insides (real hands on stuff). This sort of practise along with a room dedicated to in-house training for not only the staff but dealers pointed out to me the dedication to Atari product Down-Under by Atari Australia. With the varied product line Atari carries now and with my job taking me more and more in the *nix (read UNIX) fields I can see the TT030 *Nix becoming a major force. X-Windows support and all the other features you have read about in Z*Net International are a reality not just fiction. Expect to see more and more Australian users on GEnie soon. As they now have access to GEnie via the Public Data Network in Australia called "Austpac". After a few hours of mind boggling demos and a quick tour on the world networks it was time to go back to the hotel. As I traveled through the State capitals over the last few weeks I have been seeing all these people caring yellow bags with the Atari symbol on them so I decided to pop into a few stores and there they were all lined up (the Atari STe's). I as a few stores how the STe's were selling. From all accounts the STe is selling well every where I asked. I would like to thank all the staff at Atari Australia for their time in showing me around their complex and for their hospitality. ======================================================================= BLACKJACK PLUS 3 ---------------- Press Release ======================================================================= by MUSICODE SOFTWARE A UNIQUE NEW PRODUCT FOR ATARI ST USERS! Realistic casino play, plus 3 additional play modes using programmable strategies. More than just another game, BLACKJACK PLUS 3 can show you why you have lost in the past and teach you how to WIN in the future! Both new and experienced players will find this program equally valuable. Play with one to seven players. Play with one to nine decks; you may specify the deck dealing depth (when to shuffle). Adjustable playing speed. Card totals for each hand may be displayed. Set casino rules. Play and enjoy, alone or with friends, using the mouse, keyboard or joysticks! All aspects of the game of blackjack are supported. You always have the option to: Double Down, Split, Double after Split, take Insurance (when the dealer has an ace up) or Surrender your hand. You will lower or eliminate the casino's odds by practicing the game. See why you have lost, and how to win next time! Set up and try any playing, betting or counting strategy. All strategies and program settings may be saved to disk. Each player may be individually set to one of four playing modes: MANUAL - you play the game, just like in the casino AUTO - play is automatic, according to chosen strategy FEEDBACK - play manually, you are informed of mistakes in play BACKGROUND - test strategies quickly (100 hands in 8 seconds) Practice different strategies to see how to improve your game. A log may be kept which shows all play action for every hand! Statistics are tallied for each session and may be displayed on the screen. The log and statistics may be printed for evaluation. BLACKJACK IS ALWAYS FUN TO PLAY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU WIN! Check out the self-executing demo in Library #10 (DEMOS): (GEnie) # 18758 BJP3DEMO Ask your dealer to order it for you, or contact: MUSICODE SOFTWARE 5575 Baltimore Drive Suite 105-127 La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 469-7194 RETAIL PRICE: $89.95 ======================================================================= ATMODEM: ATASCII COMMUNICATIONS FOR PC USERS -------------------------------------------- by Mike Mezaros ======================================================================= For almost six years I used Atari 8-bit home computers. Only recently did I part with the last of my 8-bit components simply because I had nowhere to keep them (they went to everybody's pal and Atari 8-bit diehard Stan Lowell, a regular columnist for Z*Net PC's sister publication for Atari 8-bit users, Z*Magazine). Sure, in this day and age where 1024x768 resolution displays and stereophonic digitized sound samples are common, the Atari 8-bit's are a little behind the times. But you get attached to them. Not enough to rent extra storage space, but certainly enough to miss certain features when they're gone. Which is why I was happy to find ATMODEM Version 1.0 on the aforementioned Stan Lowell's Atari 8-bit BBS (The Blank Page, 908-805- 3967). ATMODEM is a simple DOS terminal program that let's PC users connect with Atari 8-bit BBS's in their native ATASCII mode. Before you (the uninitiated) ask, ATASCII is a special version of the universal ASCII character set. It adds special graphics characters, special control codes, special cursor control functions, and so on. ATASCII is very similar in concept to ANSI, minus the colors. The result: Atari users can call other Atari users, or Atari BBS's, in ATASCII mode and add a lot of flair to their telecommunications. Flair like ATASCII animations, graphics displays, inverse characters, and other special effects. A few years ago it was extremely common to see Atari users sign their messages with fancy, personalized ATASCII animations. It's probably not so common anymore because these days a lot of non 8-bitters call Atari 8-bit boards in ASCII, ANSI, or VT-52 mode, which interpret ATASCII characters as jibberish. What I really missed were the ATASCII games available on the only Atari 8-bit BBS I call regularly, The Blank Page. That's not a problem anymore, though, thanks to ATMODEM. Sure, the 40 column text looks huge on my VGA monitor, but I can live with it. ATMODEM is shareware (the author, Robert Sinclair, requests $10, but seems to be very liberal about it), and features an 80 column VT-100 emulation mode (suitable for calling most BBS's), a 40 column ATASCII emulation mode, X-Modem file transfer, a capture mode, a dialing directory which allows multiple directories with nine entires each, and two user-defined macros per dialing entry. Also included in the package are ATMAKER, an early version of an ATASCII editor, and AT2ASC for converting files from ATASCII to ASCII and ASCII to ATASCII. The ATASCII emulation speed seemed fine on my 20Mhz 386 with 2400 baud modem, but the documentation mentions that it may be sluggish on slower PC's. This can be partly remedied by turning off the graphics block cursor by hitting F3, which gives the program less screen updating to do. The documentation also notes incompatibility with certain Tandy 1000SX systems, for reasons unknown. ATMODEM's interface is utilitarian and takes a little getting used to (like P for the phone directory and F10 for the terminal), but it is completely menu driven so you can never get stuck. Otherwise the program seems very well written with great emulation and reasonable speed. It isn't a disk hog, either, with the ATMODEM.EXE program taking up less than 57k. I also had no trouble using the program under Windows, so I imagine DesqView won't be a problem either. As you can see above, the only feature of ATMODEM that stands out is it's ATASCII emulation. The others are pretty much bare-bones. And that's okay, because ATMODEM was obviously not designed to be a standard terminal program with the added feature of ATASCII emulation. This program is ATASCII emulation first, second, and last. Even the author concedes that for other communications you're much better off with a different program. But for playing (and eventually losing) the ATASCII trivia game on The Blank Page BBS while using a PC, ATMODEM is the only way to go. ======================================================================= CODEHEAD SOFTWARE UPDATE ------------------------ Press Release ======================================================================= (Editors Note: April 1991 is CodeHead Month in Z*Net Online and you will be updated every-week this month with Codehead information) CodeHeadQuarters Friday, April 5, 1991 --------------------- WE BLEW IT !!! AND YOU SAVE !!! ...BUT YOU MUST ACT FAST !!! The CodeHeads have no one to blame but themselves. They couldn't just release a normal update to MaxiFile worth $10. Noooo...they had to keep adding this and that nifty gadget and inventing new features that just couldn't be left out until MaxiFile was transformed into a JEWEL worth far more than they're charging. As it turns out, the printed addendum to MaxiFile is almost equal in size and content to the original MaxiFile manual. Unfortunately, the CodeHeads can't afford to continue offering upgrades to MaxiFile including the addendum for the advertised price of $10. On May 1st, the price for the MaxiFile 3.0 upgrade will be increased to $15 including the addendum manual. At that time, the purchase price for MaxiFile will also be increased to $44.95. HOWEVER ... our loss is your gain! Those who have already ordered their MaxiFile update and those whose orders are placed (or postmarked) before May 1st will still pay only $10 for the upgrade, or $39.95 for the full package! So hurry -- send back your MaxiFile disk today for upgrading (see below) and you'll receive the complete MaxiFile upgrade package, including the printed manual addendum, and save yourself $5.00 at the same time! See our previous press releases for an impressive listing of all of MaxiFile's features. HOW TO ORDER OR UPDATE YOUR OWN COPY OF MAXIFILE ------------------------------------------------ MaxiFile can purchased and used separately, or you can enjoy its increased power when linked up with HotWire by purchasing HotWire and MaxiFile packaged together as HotWire Plus, AND save yourself $15-20 at the same time. As a current owner of MaxiFile, you can obtain an update by sending your original MaxiFile master disk and the update fee to the address listed below. Product Before May 1st After May 1st ================================================ MaxiFile Update $10.00 $15.00 MaxiFile 3.0 $39.95 $44.95 HotWire $44.95 $44.95 HotWire Plus $69.95 $69.95 CodeHead Products are available from your local Atari dealer, through mail-order houses, or directly from CodeHead Software: CodeHead Software P.O. Box 74090 Los Angeles, CA 90004 Phone: (213) 386-5735 FAX: (213) 386-5789 BBS: (213) 461-2095 CodeHead Software accepts Mastercard, Visa, and American Express, as well as checks, money orders, and cash. Shipping charges are $3 US, $4 Canada, and $6 elsewhere. The is no shipping charge for updates. Current office hours are Monday-Friday 9A-1P Pacific time. Prices and hours are subject to change without notice. Thank you for your support! ======================================================================= Z*NET SOFTWARE SHELF -------------------- by Ron Berinstein, Contributing Editor ======================================================================= CodeHead Quarters BBS 1610 Vine Street Hollywood, CA 90028 Well the folks at ICD keep working and working at trying to keep their software working in the best possible way. Hence, it was just last month that we saw the last revision. Now another new upgrade is posted and available for downloading on GEnie and CompuServe. STHOST_E.ARC is the file for the latest SCSI Host Utilities (Version 5.2.0 of ICDBOOT included). CLEANUP is in a separate file. ICD_VERS.TXT contains the latest current version numbers. It was mentioned this week in one of the message bases that the ICD BBS has yet even more "current" versions available than those posted on GEnie. I have not confirmed that, so, your assignment this week, should you choose to accept it, is to darn a Sherlock Holmes cap and check out if the rumor is true. One thing that definitely is true is that ICD does limit the availability of their software, making same only accessible (with regard to Online Services) from GEnie and CompuServe. This writer feels that at the very least it would be nice if Delphi also could post it. Delphi is fast becoming a home to many ST fans that formerly logged on to the other big two only. A reason for this change is their agressive policy at signing ST folks up.. Twenty hours of monthly time on Delphi costs as little as twenty dollars! So, where else are freely distributable software files available? Certainly it is no surprise to the readers of this column that there are several regional and local BBS's that help to maintain a network for developers to make their software downloadable inexpensively. What might be new knowledge though is the updated "Prichard's Pursuer v.3.5 PRG. and ACC." Same will automatically handle all the chores of using PC Pursuit. It will call up to 100 BBS's, as well as track and log chargeable connect time. It will link to your terminal program's scripts, macros, and recordings. PPUR35.LZH is shareware and sports other new features as well. ARCSHL24.ARC (Shareware) was released on March 30th, by Charles F. Johnson and Little Green Footballs Software. This, the latest version of the program that adds a complete, easy-to-use GEM interface to archive programs like ARC.TTP and LZH11316.TTP. This version provides a "link" to CodeHead's MaxiFile as well! Under the heading of: "I'll Give You An Image To Remember!" SQUEESIM.ARC (Shareware) replaced the recently uploaded file named similarly SQUEEZIM.ARC. "SQUEEZIMG" squeezes the original size of your .IMG files and makes them smaller, but still viewable! This because several .IMG program modules save the files without compressing them, and some that may compress them might not do so as effectively as possible. The author feels you might save anywhere from 2% to 60% of .IMG file related disk space! Besides preserving the "time/date stamp" of the .IMG file this program also allows you to delete those "GEM sister" files that TOUCH UP creates. VIDI_CON.ARC (Shareware $5) will convert a series of sequentially- numbered Degas (.PI1) files to a Delta (.DLT) file (that which allows for animation). It will convert an animated sequence created with VIDI- ST, REZRENDER or any program that creates similar files. This program will run in any resolution but will convert low res. files only. MARIE_1.LZH and MARIE_2.LZH are the photographer's first pictures of Marieta that he digitalized with his new VIDI-CHROME software. In both shots she is pictured completely nude. She is quite beautiful and one might wonder how in fact he had any time at all to play with his new VIDI-CHROME! These are SPECTRUM (.SPC) pictures. So what kind of game are you playing? Three uploaded this week include: CONCENTR.LZH (Shareware $5) "Picture Concentration" is just like the card game. You match pictures of course instead of cards. The source code is available. Written in LDW Basic. Low Rez only. AMAZE.LZH "...clear the playground from the squares, but don't jump aside..." A program written with Modula-2. Runs on all machines, but not in Low rez. TRAPPER.LZH Well this little game ought to get you a pleasant evening of "entertainment." It is meant to be played "between/with" your girlfriend/spouse. Lewis Trapper is trying to catch her, and this program instructs her what she must do should be caught. A little bit of "in-to-your-mate" fun is created here. MDMZ2DOC.LZH is a file that is here due to the courtesy of a users group in Ontario, Canada. This file contains an English translation of the German docs for MIDIMAZE 2 program. Well, it may well be that 1991 might be declared the, "year of the text reader." At one time we used to have ASCII text files and to view them we clicked on the Atari desktop's SHOW button... now that seems by any conservative opinion very antique. CodeHead's "LookIt" was introduced last year, offered a variety of options and provided you with text that began to roll faster than ever! And, ASCII itself is being challenged... now TX2 has made the scene as well. Shareware authors have seen the potential for marketing the readers and voila!, text readers, and color pictures, and mono pictures, and ASCII versions, and TX2 versions, big versions, and small versions, and continuous updates seem to occupy our current file library databases everywhere! Some of this week's choices include: TX2VIEW5.LZH (Demo) the latest upgraded version of David Holmes' program corrects all of the known bugs resulting from the graphics being integrated with the text. Mouse support is turned off after five minutes, and this version, or higher, will be necessary to view much of the new TX2 material that is to be released. MINITX23.LZH (Shareware $10) updates the the Mini TX2 Viewer. Like it's big brother it fixes the known bugs with the graphics and provides the ability to view the newer releases of TX2 text material. STEXT14E.LZH (Shareware) is the March 28th update of STEXT, a file and picture viewer.. It now supports mouse controlled block features, print from page to page, TT command lines, printer output line status, linking to application, online magazine index format, and more. Under the heading: "Oh my God, I forgot I had a Date Tonight!" PACAL117.ARC (Shareware $3) "Personal Appointment Calendar v1.117" will provide an appointment book feature for those who don't want to end up in "Hot Water," or, the "Dog House." It can also be used for event storage, and the printing of simple calendars. This is a real quick and efficient piece of work.. Probably a real good buy for all of three dollars! Other posts this week: P_A_M_2.ARC (Shareware $5) The latest version of "Print-A-Matic." The print formatting commands included allow for single sheet mode, width and length of page, line numbers, page numbers, margins, and more. Included also is your ability to send the regular breed of commands to your printer as well. Has a "Macro Mode," and is a TOS type program. NSYSCM.LZH "SYSCOM v.1.2" will show you the GEMDOS, BIOS, XBIOS, and GEM calls as they happen. You can even slow the system down and watch windows draw. Choose where the information is displayed. Runs in high resolution only. TN_PCALC.LZH Version 1.2 The real version 1.2! This file replaces a previous one recently claiming to be 1.2 but really was 1.1. Programmer's Calculator from Take Note Software For the real expert: Our thanks to Albert Dayes for uploading BISON.ARC. *Same is his choice for: PROGRAM OF THE WEEK!* BISON.ARC is a YACC clone formerly on MS-DOS and ported to the ST with Laser code. Porting by James Patchel. File was originally downloaded from Megamax BBS and comes complete with development log on problems with moving code from IBM to Atari ST. Very Good Documentation! The above files were compiled by Ron Berinstein co-sysop CodeHead Quarters BBS (213) 461-2095 from files that were either directly uploaded to CodeHead Quarters BBS, or downloaded from GEnie, Compuserve, and Delphi online services. ======================================================================= CALAMUS TUTORIAL - PART VII --------------------------- Graphics II by Geoff LaCasse GXR systems, Vancouver, B.C. ======================================================================= Last session I discussed Calamus's built-in graphic tools: Raster Area Graphics, and Line Graphics. I find both useful for defining page elements and dimensions. For example, we can add graphic backdrops to Calamus's text frames which are transparent and have no borders. Retrieve your document from last session. Turn on SNAP TO HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL AUXILIARY LINES. In the space in the lower right, create a small text frame and fill it with text. Turn off SNAP TO... With the frame still selected, click on dX (WIDTH) in the upper right of the screen. dX displays the frame's Width (left to right). Type in a new value 0.04 (of an inch) smaller (ESC or BACKSPACE to delete old). Use the down arrow key to move to dY (HEIGHT- - measured top to bottom) and do the same thing. Press RETURN. The frame's anchor point--its upper left corner--is unchanged, but width and height are reduced by 0.04. Follow a similar process but add 0.02 to X and Y (to the left of dX and dY). X and Y define a frame's page origin measured from the upper left corner of the document. Turn on SNAP TO... and create a raster frame (with raster, shadow, and border style) on top of the text frame. Make sure you not select the text frame when SNAP TO... is on. Turn off SNAP TO... Click on the Raster frame, then on PLACE FRAME TO BACKGROUND (FRAME icon pad, bottom row, left). This and the adjacent icon--PLACE FRAME TO FOREGROUND--rearrange frame stacking order. The raster frame moves from above the text frame to below. Frames can be placed above or below one another and remain distinct entities. Only your system's memory limit the number of frames which may be stacked. Frames may also be grouped. Hold down the shift key, click on the raster and text frames (make sure both show handles), and select GROUP FRAME (FRAME, fourth row from bottom, on the left). Alternately, you could select GROUP FRAME and drag the cursor across the frames to be grouped. The disadvantage there lies in selecting only those frames which you want to group. Shift-Left mouse button is more accurate if somewhat slower. Grouped frames show as one frame but GROUP FRAMED is highlighted when selected. Grouped frames re-size as a unit, although text point size will not change. Individual elements can't be modified without breaking up the group. To ungroup, select the frame, then UNGROUP FRAME (exploded icon on third row), and click on the right mouse button (to deselect all frames in the group). Click on DRAW UP PROPORTIONALLY (third row from bottom, right) to re-size proportionally. Click on PROTECT FRAME (to the right of Ungroup Frame) if you want to protect frame dimensions and position. Protected frames have hollow (visible when selected) in place of solid handles. Individual or grouped frames can be protected. Line frames can be used for a variety of tasks, for example, defining page length and width, and separation of adjacent frames. They will re- size in length but not thickness when part of a grouped frame. When choosing line thickness, use common sense. Hairlines (<1.0 point) can only be accurately printed by Linotronic printers (default for others is 1.0 point). Thick lines (>6.0 points) have horrible banding on 9-pin printers. Don't underline text with a line. Any changes to the wording will change line placement. Calamus's Line and Raster Area commands provide some simple drawing tools for the desktop publisher. Experiment but remember a few rules. Calamus's strengths lie in the nearly limitless imagination you bring to the task and the tools the program has given you to exploit its flexibility and complexity. If you understand both the medium you are using and the tools to provide the message, you will have no difficulty working with Calamus. But, as I have said previously, its strengths can also be its weaknesses in the wrong hands. If your message cannot be easily discerned, then the message, no matter how entertaining, is lost on the readership. Because of this, I prefer simplicity of form to complexity. Beginners should heed this, if only to prevent abuse. Do not overuse Raster Area graphics and lines. Calamus has as yet no Raster or Vector graphics tools. Instead, both must be imported. Delete your grouped Text/Raster Area frame, and click on RASTER GRAPHICS FRAME (FRAMES, third icon pad, second row, on the right). Create a frame where the Raster Area graphic frame used to be. Note the paint brush symbol in the upper left corner of the new frame. In Calamus, each frame type is distinct, identified only by the symbol (except Raster Area and Lines which need none). These visual clues are important because frames (whether paint, drawing, or text) hold particular file formats. Select the Raster Graphic frame, and click on IMPORT from the File menu. A dialogue box with a list of file formats will appear. Some--Degas, GEM Image--should be familiar. Others--STAD, for example--will not (STAD is used by German programs such as Sketch). Choose the file format you want to import (have a file in that format ready to import). Calamus looks into your \PICTURE folder for files. If not there, click on the drive letter at the bottom of the screen, and again on the folder or file in the item selector window. Load the file. The graphic will fill the frame you created. To properly proportion the picture, click on FRAME SPECIAL FUNCTIONS (the ? mark on the second icon pad), and highlight OPTIMIZE SIZE FOR PRINTER (at bottom, second row, left). Calamus re-scales the graphic to match the resolution of your printer. For example, a Degas file will appear one-quarter scale if your Calamus printer is capable of 300 dpi (DeskJet or LaserJet), because Degas uses a bit-mapped image of the Atari screen--at 72dpi (or approximately one- quarter of 300 dpi)--for its drawing format. Highlight PICTURE SIZE INDEPENDENT OF FRAME (on right, bottom) if you want to enlarge the Raster Graphic frame without changing picture size or position on the page. Or select CENTRE PICTURE IN FRAME (which also selects the icon Picture Size Independent of Frame) if you want to stretch the borders of the frame and leave the graphic centred and untouched in the frame. If the graphic is too small, highlight HALF-TONE PICTURE SIZING, enlarge to desired size, and click on OPTIMIZE SIZE FOR PRINTER. Half-Tone Sizing works in multiples of the optimal size, to avoid pattern effects when the graphic is printed. Use OPTIMIZE SIZE FOR SCREEN when cropping or sizing graphic to fit with original size (and not match dot for dot as above). CROP PARTS OF A PICTURE (the scissors icon at bottom, mid) selects the desired area of a graphic. Highlight the icon, position cursor (thin cross) at the upper left, hold down the left mouse button, and drag to the right and down. When you have selected the graphic area you want, release the mouse button. The selected area will expand to the borders of the frame. Vector Graphic frames work similarly to Raster Graphic frames. Create a Vector frame, and import a file. Use IDEAL SIZE in FRAME SPECIAL FUNCTIONS to properly proportion the graphic. If you want to enlarge it while keeping the X and Y dimensions correct, select PROPORTIONAL DRAWING (third row, right, in FRAMES icon pad). The frame will only have four handles and changing dimensions in one direction will change it in the other. Next session we begin our last document. Have handy a three-four page word processor file plus a number of Raster and Vector Graphic files. ======================================================================= PUBLIC DOMAIN UPDATE -------------------- by Keith MacNutt ======================================================================= UPDATE ON FORMDOIT! ------------------- In my article in last weeks ZNET, I stated that I could not get FormDoIt! to work on my 1040STE. After submitting the article for publication, I discovered that the LZH program I used to extract the program had rendered the file unworkable. I re-downloaded the program, and this time was able to install and see that the program did indeed work as stated in the accompanying documentation. I would like to apologise at this time to both DAN WILGA and GRIBNIF SOFTWARE for any inconveniences arising from this unfortunate error in my article. Yours Truly Keith MacNutt PRINT-A-MATIC V2.0 Michael H. Douville 1661 S. Deframe ct. Lakewood, CO 80228 Print-A-Matic's main purpose, as stated by the author, Is to make it easy to setup and automate the configuration of you printer. Some of the features included are: 1. Send control characters to you printer to enable curtain features. 2. To group these features together in macro format. 3. Save the configuration for future use or modification. 4. To print text files from within the program. 5. A test feature to enable you to see how the file will look on your printer before the entire file is printed. 6. This, the latest version, has a variety of print formatting commands. USING THE PROGRAM There is no installation process to follow, only that the files PRINTA.TOS and PRNCONFG.DAT are in the same folder. The documentation file states that before the program can be used, you will have to enter control codes that allow the program to control the setup of the printer. To do this, you should get the manual that came with your printer and look up the ESC sequences that tell your printer what to do. Next you pick a letter between A-Z and type CONTROL + the letter you have chosen to edit. The rest is very simple in that you give that entry a name and then enter the control sequence that you wish to use with that entry. If you make a mistake you need only use the BACKSPACE key and re-type the correct code in its place. The program allows you to also turn on or off the control codes by simply typing the letter A-Z and the line will become tagged or un-tagged, depending on how many times you press the letter. CREATING AND USING MACROS To create a list of macros you simply tag the codes you will want to use and then by pressing CONTROL and a number from 1-9 on the numeric at the same time, a macro of those features has now been made. What could be simpler then that. This allows you to make up to 10 (0-9) different macros that can control how the page is laid out or the type size of the print. PRINT CONTROLS F1- Sends the tagged ESC codes to the printer. F2- Prints any legal file F3- Test print. Prints 4 lines of text to the printer for final check. F4- To reload the printer and macro configurations. F5- Save the printer codes you have entered. F6- Clear all printer codes and macros. F7- Clear all tagged codes. PRINTER FORMATTING SHIFT F1- Sets the number of copys of the text file. SHIFT F2- Sets the number of lines and the number of characters across the page. SHIFT F3- Page length-either 11" or 14" paper. SHIFT F4- Set the left margin from 0-20 or how many spaces, 0-20, are skipped if a TAB character is detected. SHIFT F5- Sets page numbers on or off. SHIFT F6- Pause printing at the end of each page. SHIFT F7- Prints header information. Name of the file,date and time and the title of the file which can be up to 40 characters. SHIFT F8- Prints line numbers preceding each line of text. SHIFT F9- Allows you to by-pass the print formatting used by Print-A- Matic. SHIFT F10- Selects whether a form feed is sent after each file printed. CONCLUSIONS If this impressive list of features hasn't knocked your socks off yet, then the news that the author will be adding more to the program, including a GEM interface in the near future, should do it. As always, the author requests a donation of only $5.00 if you use his product, and will send you the latest version (GEM) if you include your Name and address along with the above mentioned contribution. Oh, by the way, the new version will also work as an accessory. ======================================================================= DC SHOWER --------- Press Release ======================================================================= Available now! If you loved DC SHOWIT, you'll love DC SHOWER! (pronounced: Dee Cee Sho Ir) This is SHOW magic! SHOW 'NUF! DC Shower replaces the GEM desktop SHOW FILE function with up to seven DC Shower modules that let you view text files, binary files, 17 different picture formats, and (even extract) ARC, LZH, ZIP and ZOO archives. Use the DC Pick desk accessory to view files in any GEM program. Or, use DC Shower directly from UIS 3.3 (simply drag a file to the <P> button in UIS 3.3 and click on SHOW). Or, you can install DC Shower as the ALTERNATIVE SHOW in NeoDesk 3.0 for even more power! Fully compatible with all ST, STe and TT computers. 100% assembly! Check out what the April 1991 ST Informer says about DC Shower! They love it! Only $29.95! Ask your dealer for a copy! ++++++++++++ SPECIAL DEAL ++++++++++++ Get DC Shower for 1/3 off the retail price! As a special bargain, you can have DC Shower for only $19.95 (US)! Simply send us a disk with a copy of DC Showit v1.0 or v1.1 and $19.95! (DC Showit is available online on GEnie, CompuServe, the DCS BBS, and many, many other BBS throughout the world - in case you are interested.) (add $3(US) or $5(foreign) shipping/handling, TX residents add 8.25% tax) This offer ends June 1, 1991. Mail, COD, VISA and MC orders welcome. You can reach us almost everywhere! Double Click Software PO BOX 741206 Houston, TX 77274 (713) 977-6520 GEnie : DOUBLE-CLICK (CATegory 30) CompuServe : 75300,577 (GO ATARIVend, area 13) Usenet : uace0@menudo.uh.edu DC BBS : (713)944-0108 ======================================================================= Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine is copyright (c)1989 - 1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.. Middlesex, New Jersey. (908) 968-2024 =======================================================================