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==(((((((((( == Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE =========(( === ----------------------------------------- =======(( ===== May 31, 1991 Issue #91-23 =====(( ======= ----------------------------------------- ==(((((((((( == (c)1989-1990-1991, Z*Net Publishing Publisher/Editor: Ron Kovacs Senior Editor: John Nagy Terry Schreiber, Jon Clarke, Mike Mezaros, Drew Kerr, Keith Macnutt, Ron Berinstein, Mike Scheutz, Mike Brown CONTENTS THE EDITORS DESK................Ron Kovacs and John Nagy Z*NET NEWSWIRE.......................................... Z*NET BBS MESSAGE BASE REPRINTS......................BBS MIDI CITY.................................Drew Reid Kerr INSTALLING THE JRI RAM+ BOARD...............Ben Hamilton HIGH RESOLUTION..........................Nathan Potechin LOGIC COMPUTER SHOW..........................From UseNet Z*NET SOFTWARE SHELF......................Ron Berinstein GENIE CONFERENCE CALENDER..........................GEnie CHICAGO ATARIFEST BY ATARI....................Mike Brown Z*MAGAZINE ARCHIVES...........................Ron Kovacs ======================================================================= THE EDITORS DESK ---------------- by Ron Kovacs and John Nagy ======================================================================= ** See NEW Copyright and Reprinting Information ** ** at the end of this edition. ** While discussion continues in a number of locations about the wisdom or importance of MAC and IBM inclusions in Atari online magazines, Z*Net reminds our readers of our solution: Z*NET PC. Although we do feature a few "other brand" newswire items in Z*NET ATARI ONLINE each week as a reference point, the bulk of such material can be found in our OTHER online magazine, Z*NET PC. After only two months of publication, Z*NET PC has gained a notable and growing following. If you want PC news and reviews in depth and in volume, you'll find it in Z*NET PC, not in Z*NET ATARI. We figure you should get what you want when you want it. Z*Net PC is edited and compiled by Ron Kovacs and Mike Mezaros, former publisher/editor of the Atari online magazine BetaZine. Currently, ZPC issues are available on GEnie in the IBM RT and on CompuServe in the IBMNEW Forum. On another topic, every month Z*Net receives or sees dozens of user group newsletters. Many of them reprint articles from our online magazine, and we are glad to see them use us. However, often the articles are reprinted without any credits. As the Z*Net Newswire is a copyrighted feature which a growing number of publications are paying to carry, proper credits and copyrights MUST be displayed. We've seen our newswire items appear in many newsletters with no credit, or worse, appearing to be original work of some club member who just downloaded it. If your non-profit club or organization produces a newsletter with less than 500 circulation, please, feel very free to use any article in Z*NET (except for a very few that have special notices in them forbidding reprinting). But PLEASE, don't edit the work to make it say something it didn't in the original, and DO include the copyright information, including author's name and the issue of Z*NET that it was originally printed in. And occasionally, it would be nice if your newsletter told your membership a bit about us and how they can read us each week... hopefully on your local BBS. Organizations or publications with 500 or more circulation or publications for profit must obtain specific reprinting permission from Rovac Industries, Inc. Contracts for continuing inclusion of the Z*Net Atari Newswire and/or Z*Net PC Newswire are also available. Contact Ron Kovacs at 908-968-2024, the Z*Net BBS at 908-968-8148, or by mail at Rovac Industries, P.O. Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846, GEnie at "Z-NET", CompuServe at 71777,2140. ======================================================================= Z*NET NEWSWIRE -------------- ======================================================================= BRODIE BEGINS FNET PRESENCE FOR ATARI Manager of User Groups Services and general Atari globetrotter Bob Brodie has begun participation in the FNET BBS system, talking to users world-wide via the Z*NET ATARI CONFERENCE within FNET. FNET is a system of many hundreds of interlinked private bulletin board systems that share messages and files though automated overnight phone calls. The Z*NET conference is currently the most popular of many conference topics available to each FNET BBS, and processes hundreds of messages each week. Brodie has been giving aid and setting rumors straight while generally enjoying the new forum. See a related story with excerpts from Z*NET messages in this issue of Z*NET. CALAMUS UPGRADE: $69.95 IN JULY Word from ISD's Nathan Potechin is that Calamus S, the modular replacement for the current Calamus 1.09N, will be available as an upgrade in July for $69.95 (U.S.). Watch Z*Net Newswire for the announcement as to exactly when it is ready. Nathan continues to encourage owners of the older versions to upgrade NOW to 1.09N ($29.95 from any older level) rather than to wait and pay the whole $100 to get Calamus S. Calamus S contains every feature 1.09N has plus dozens of new features and it is totally modular. You can choose to purchase whatever additional modules you might require ie; the new vector line art module for use within Calamus, PKS Write word processing module, a paint module, etc. Nathan expects 2 dozen new modules for Calamus before the end of this year. Other features of Calamus S include working in up to 7 windows, 10,000th if a point text increments, rotation of all graphics, anchoring a picture to a word, text style attributes allowing global document restyle of tagged text, and lots more. Calamus S is the monochrome version, SL is the 4-color separation version. All modules (except color specific ones) will freely interchange between S and SL, allowing most users to buy S now and decide to move to WYSIWYG color in SL if and when they have the need. DYNACADD TT DELAYED AGAIN FOR MORE FEATURES Planned for release this week, the release of DynaCADD for the TT is being delayed. A recompiled TT version that takes full advantage of the TT's capabilities, DynaCADD TT features include: hidden line removal, bi-directional 3D DXF, 3D faces, compatibility with ray tracing and rendering packages on other platforms, etc. Says Nathan Potechin of ISD, "We have held back the release of the TT version of DynaCADD for ONE additional month. In addition to the long list of features already added to the not yet released new TT version of DynaCADD, we have decided to go even further. Now being added are: A Compiled Programming Language, a fully integrated multi-document editor, configurable command line interpreter, a script language and non-graphical properties. We had initially thought to add these features later but finally decided to do it all now. It will be worth the wait, of that I can assure you.... While 16 million colors aren't that relevant in CADD, we will run with every configuration from VGA on up. We WILL USE the built-in math coprocessor." ATARIUSER 2ND ISSUE SHIPS LATE The newest and largest circulation Atari magazine, AtariUser, shipped its second issue this week. This month, 35,000 copies were circulated, and 40,000 are planned for next month, a circulation totaling more than all other US Atari magazines, newsletters, and newspapers taken TOGETHER. This month, features include a major comparison among Document Processors by Jim Pierson-Perry, a LYNX Resource Guide, a Viewpoint from Nathan Potechin, the Z*Net Newswire, and the regular columns covering the ST, TT, MIDI, 8-BIT, LYNX, and Portfolio. The June AtariUser was delayed for over two weeks by an error of the printer, who lost the original film for most of the issue. Publisher Steve Lesh says that his Quill Publishing Company that produces AtariUser has been assured that "it can't happen again". The July issue of AtariUser should be shipped to dealers, user groups, and bookstores by the 22nd of June, and future issues before the 18th of the month. Call 800-333-3567 for subscription and distribution details. START SALE RUMORS STart Magazine remains suspended and unsold as of this writing. No official word has been released as to who may be bidding for what, but sale efforts continue with a number of parties. Atari itself is said to have contacted Antic Publishing owner Jim Capparell in hopes of the purchase of the subscriber base and the Atari portion of the Antic Software Catalog operation. If this happened, ATARI EXPLORER would gain between 9,000 and 14,000 subscribers. Other rumors include varied negotiations with both UK and German publishing concerns who want a US foothold. Although nothing is concrete, it would appear that STart subscribers and perhaps even creditors may indeed see something come of what was once the largest and most respected Atari support magazine. SOFTSOURCE OPENS ON GENIE With a minimum of pomp and circumstance, the long-awaited SOFTSOURCE KNOWLEGEBASE opened this week on the GEnie Telecommunications Service. The database of "all" Atari hardware and software is planned to include demonstration versions of most applications, downloadable right from the database. User can now search for listed products by category of product, keywords in the description, price range, release date, languages supported, and more. While the search format is arcane and user unfriendly, most Atarians can make use of the system by referring to the Softsource Manual and category lists that are available in the GEnie ST RT library. Several hundred entries are now in the database, which was conceived and announced nearly two years ago. Dan MacNamee of Atari is in charge of the project, which is also to spawn a CD ROM disk with every known product and demo on it, for real-time use at dealers. The concept is to allow users to compare and actually see and use major applications before choosing the right one for their needs and budget. OFFICE FOR MACINTOSH Microsoft announced shipment of The Microsoft Office version 1.5 for the Apple Macintosh which combines four business applications in a single, economical package, contains updates of two popular Macintosh IBM CHAIRMAN BLASTS MANAGERS John Akers, chairman of IBM blasted some of his managers earlier this month, confirmed after articles appeared in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, IBM confirmed this week. IBM blamed its problems on the recession. Privately however, Akers told IBM managers the company had "too many people standing around the water cooler waiting to be told what to do." Akers is 3 1/2 years away from IBM's mandatory retirement age of 60 and is beginning to talk in terms of his legacy. "The fact that we're losing market share makes me goddamn mad. I used to think my job as a (sales) rep was at risk if I lost a sale. Tell them theirs is at risk if they lose one," the Wall Street Journal quoted Akers as saying at a management meeting. Akers went on to state, "I'm sick and tired of visiting plants to hear nothing but great things about quality and cycle time and then to visit customers who tell me of problems. If the people in labs and plants miss deadlines ... tell them their job is on the line, too,... The company has too many sales representatives popping out for coffee with their customer and calling it a call." VISUAL BASIC BEST OF SHOW AT COMDEX Comdex Show organizers, Interface Group and BYTE magazine editors, selected the Visual Basic programming system as the most exciting new product which will have the most industry impact. The Visual Basic system was introduced May 21, 1991, at a press conference and will be available in June 1991 for a suggested retail price of $199. German and French versions are scheduled to ship in August, with other language versions to follow. ======================================================================= Z*NET BBS MESSAGE REPRINTS -------------------------- Z*NET BBS (908) 968-8148 ======================================================================= FNET NODE 593 Conference Code: 20448 Conf : Z*Net Atari Online Magazine Msg# : 3645 Lines: 20 Read: 6 Sent : May 29, 1991 at 3:37 PM To : Flash From : Bob Brodie Subj : Re: <3409> EA dropping the ST In message 593/4/3409, Flash writes: > News just in.. Electronic Arts is going to be dropping the ST line.. > I hope everyone does not follow now that Word Perfect and EA have > dropped us. That's incorrect. Electronic Arts has merely split their efforts between their subsidaries. That is, EA-USA is going to handle *all* of the MS-DOS stuff. While EA-UK will handle all of the *68000* based stuff, like Mac, Amiga, and of course, the ST! EA tells me that their ST products are selling Mostly in Europe, but they are indeed selling! The thing that has a number of people confused is that they pulled the plug on their affiliated labels program. That means they will no longer publish Lucasfilm, and other companies (CinemaWare, etc). Those companies will have to publish their own stuff now. regards, Bob Brodie Conf : Z*Net Atari Online Magazine Msg# : 3644 Lines: Extended Read: 8 Sent : May 29, 1991 at 3:30 PM To : BILL WHITEMAN From : Bob Brodie Subj : Re: <3523> AtariUser Replies: 3653 In message 593/4/3523, BILL WHITEMAN writes: > In message 593/4/3398, MIKE MEZAROS writes: > > >> > > Mike, > > > > If there is a cover price of a dollar, how does one call it free? > > Confusing to me, but again, there must be something I am missing > > here. > > Bill > > >> > > Me too, Bill, but I'm just going by John's article in Z-Net. > > According to that, the $1 cover price was only for bookstores who > > understand the concept of carrying a free mag. Computer dealers > > were supposed to give it away for free, regardless of cover price. > > > > Similarly, at Rutgers our university paper has a cover price of 10 > > cents, But you are not supposed to pay for it. The cover price is > > there due to legal technicality having to do with postal rates (for > > alumni subscribers). > > > > ///Mike - Z*Net SysOp > > Mike, > > I have read in other places that there are stores charging the $1.00 > for the magazine. I also understand that is ok with the publishers of > the mag. Do you happen to know what the official word is on this? > Should they be charging for it? > > Bill > It's really a California thing. We have a number of magazines that get passed around for free, via bulk drop offs at computer stores, and even user groups. But if you want them to send you the magazine - one copy, to your home each and every month...you gotta pay for it! regards, Bob Brodie ======================================================================= MIDI CITY --------- by Drew Reid Kerr ======================================================================= GEnie D.KERR1 DELPHI DRKERR THE SOUND OF NO MUSICIANS PLAYING -- AN EDITORIAL One thing we Atari musicians have been saying for quite a while is boy, how lucky we are. Yes, we have four big music software manufacturers keeping us rolling in good bytes -- C-Lab, Steinberg, Hybrid Arts and Dr.T. Computer game manufacturers in the States may have ditched us, word processing software programmers may have dropped us, and we get very little ink in the mainstream media -- but as long as the Atari has two built-in MIDI ports, we'll get prime treatment. Don't get too comfortable.... You don't have to own a sampler to know that Digidesign of Menlo Park, CA announced in December that it has stopped supporting the Atari line. This means the discontinuation of Sound Tools and Sound Designer for the Atari. This package is probably the best sample editing program on the market. It also functions as a sampling unit itself, storing data in the Atari hard drive and providing the ability to mix samples from various sources. I spoke with Digidesign Product Specialist Bob Haskitt, who explained: "For what we do, the Mac lends itself better." Digidesign's vision is to have a complete studio functioning from the computer using multiple card slots. "Atari didn't have the capability of handling multiple slots," says Haskitt. "We asked ourselves, 'Is it worth it to start from scratch?' The answer was no." SampleCell, the Mac-supported unit, exemplifies the Digidesign plan. Each card slot will serve a different musical function. For example, one card will handle sequencing, while another will provide a 4-track system. An additional card would provide another four tracks and so on. Digidesign is now an "all-Macintosh" company. Haskitt said that Sound Designer was "always a steady seller." On the other hand, Sound Tools didn't do too well in the United States because "customers found Megas too tough to find." Sound Tools sold well in Canada and Europe. I should note that Sound Tools is probably one of the most commonly used programs used with dance music and film scores and soundtracks. No doubt, this is a severe blow to Atari musicians. A fellow who calls himself "Midi Mike" sent me piece of e-mail about this, noting there has been much discussion about this in GEnie's MIDI BB. I haven't found it myself, but Haskitt said he'd be interested in hearing what musicians said. Send him a fax at 415-327-0777. Midi Mike said that everyone's turing to GenWave, which I think is made by Hybrid Arts. As if that wasn't enough, Atari has not advertised in Keyboard magazine for about six issues. I was used to seeing the full-color ad on Keyboard's inside back cover every issue, usually featuring guitarist Lee Ritenour. Keyboard is the most widely read keyboard player's magazine in the world -- keep this in mind. I've addressed this question on the Atari Corporation category in GEnie and the response from Atari's Bob Brodie was the ads would be returning soon. How soon is soon? If Atari has one real foothold in the U.S., it's with musicians -- and now they stopped advertising to them? Let's say some kid who's been playing piano picks up Keyboard to get an idea of what's a hot computer. No Atari ad means Atari probably wouldn't enter his/her mind. Another potential Atari user lost! Software companies see no Atari ads... you know the story... it's not very encouraging for them or us. If you believe in your Atari's abilities, as a musician, as a computer buff, or even a tech head, let them know you want them to support your computer! Let them know you want advertising back in Keyboard pronto! Are you on GEnie or CompuServe? Put some messages on their part of the bulletin board! Send a note to Bob Brodie. I do not want my computer to be a dinosaur. MIDI NEWSWIRE YAMAHA'S HOT BOX What's 370 x 254 x 67 mm in measurement (at least that's what the stat sheet says) and is flying out the door of music stores across the country? It's the Yamaha RY30 Rhythm Programmer (drum machine, to us simple folk)! I wrote in my last column that new drum machines and modules seem to be coming out thick and fast. From my reports, this one seems to have jumped to the number one slot, even over most keyboards! For around $480, this baby seems to be aimed at slaying Roland's R-5 -- it's $10 cheaper, has a slot for more sounds, has a pitch wheel, and has the ability to store two waveforms on one pad! In plain English, this last feature means you can take the attack of one percussion waveform and mix it with the decay of another! We're talking customization! On-board memory contains 96 voices, 100 preset patterns (which are incredible), 100 user patterns and 20 songs. Full velocity sensitivity, four outs, no effects. But has Yamaha stopped there? No-o-o. Their TG 33 synthesizer module, which combines FM and vector synthesis and sells for under $500, is selling like hotcakes too. About half the preset patches sound like new age stuff, while the other half mimic real instruments. A very good buy. Taking a bath when suddenly an incredible bass riff comes washing into your head? Yamaha has that licked too -- its QY 10, which is about the size of a paperback book, is a little mini-recorder with built-in sounds. For $320, you can take it anywhere and figure out songs in the most unlikely places. You can dump SY 77 and maybe SY 55 data into it. Yamaha doesn't own a piece of me, but they are coming back this year to musicians with a vengeance! I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE The Emu drum module, Procussion, is off to a moderate start with its $800 price tag... the Alesis drum module, the D4, will now be out in September... although the Emu digital piano module, the Performer, has great sounds, the price is scaring people away. For a slightly higher price, musicians can buy the Roland U220 sample player module and get the piano and more.... similar story for Roland's new JD 800 synth with the programming levers built on top -- it's easy to program but too pricey... the Korg Wavestation is dropping in price. Was once $1800, now can be found for $1400. The module should be out this summer.... ======================================================================= INSTALLING THE JRI RAM+ BOARD ----------------------------- by Ben Hamilton Sysop of Virtual Reality BBS, Copperas Cove, TX ======================================================================= SIMM module memory upgrades are rapidly becoming the new "standard" for memory upgrades to computers, and JRI (John Russell Innovations) of California have brought the SIMM upgrades to the 520ST and 1040ST with the introduction of their RAM+ Board. Many computer supply companies, are recommending JRI's upgrade, so I took advantage of the recommendation and ordered JRI's "Type C" board. The Type C is designed for many ST models, including the 520/1040ST with RAM chips under the keyboard, the 520/1040ST with RAM chips under the power supply, and the old-style 520ST without internal floppy drive. I assume that they also provide other models of the board for each type of ST. A quick call to JRI (the number is listed at the end of this article) should answer any questions you might have. When I called JRI, I talked with John Russell himself, who knew which type of board I needed, and he recommended that he do the installation, which costs an extra $50. If you feel uncomfortable opening your ST and if you have little or no experience with a soldering iron, then this is indeed best left up to a qualified electronics technician. I used to work for an electronics repair shop, and although I don't have any "official" training, I felt that I was qualified to do the installation. I couldn't do without my ST, as it runs my BBS, so I was really "forced" to do it myself anyway. After a little thought, I also decided not to try to find a better price, but to go ahead and order the SIMMs directly from JRI. One meg x 8 SIMMs are $50 each from JRI, which is a quite reasonable price. I have heard that they sell for as little as $38, but I was worried that they would be somehow incompatible with the upgrade board. JRI's docs to the board mention that low-profile, 120ns or faster chips are required. John suggested that he send the board and modules by UPS Blue, and I received them in UPS's usual timely fashion. The board sells for $125, and each SIMM (you need two for 2.0 or 2.5 meg and four for 4 meg) was $50. Shipping and COD was an extra $10 total. After I received the board, I read the included instructions several times to familiarize myself with the procedure. Of course, I hadn't had my ST apart yet, so I didn't know which type of motherboard I had. PC- board artwork is included in the instructions for each type of ST motherboard. The installation procedure is fairly simple, once you do it and realize what you've done! Everything is included in the installation kit, right down to the wires, the solder, and the cable ties. Installation involves removal of the ST Shifter chip, which is moved into a new board. At this point, a second chip can be installed which allows your ST to support a 4,096 color palatte. A floppy disk is included in the kit which has several demos for the new color support. I did not elect to get the extra chip from JRI (which costs $25) because this computer is dedicated to my BBS, and I have no need for the extra colors there. But installation and support of the chip is easily done by just popping in the new chip to the board socket. Next the boards (the one that holds the Shifter and the one that holds the SIMMs) must be secured by a supplied heavy gauge stranded wire. Convenient grounding points are provided on each board. I felt uncomfortable securing the RAM board only with the grounding wires, so I placed a piece of cardboard (the same cardboard that earlier supported the boards under shrink-wrap during shipping!) between the RAM board and the ST motherboard. I didn't want to take the chance that any of the contacts on the underside of the RAM board might touch any of the motherboard contacts. After the boards are mounted, a few wires must be run from the RAM board to the motherboard, and each connection is well-documented in the instructions. Some of the connections require that various resistors are removed, and wires are run from the pads where the resistors used to be. This is perhaps the most unnerving part of the installation -- once you clip those resistors, you have the feeling that there's no turning back. Another of the connections goes directly to the MMU, which I believe is the ST's memory management chip. This is also documented, although the instructions fail to even casually mention that two of the chips in the ST resemble each other, the MMU and the other chip, and since I'm a novice, I'm unfamiliar with the other one. But fortunately, the instructions also include the possible Atari part numbers of each chip, so I was able to determine which one was the MMU by its number. After installation was complete, I put it all back together and fired it up. Viola! About one hour's work, and I now have a 1040ST with 2.5 megabytes of RAM! And I can upgrade to 4 meg with the addition of two more SIMMs and a few more changes to the installation. Instructions for changing to 2.0, 2.5, and 4 meg are included in the documentation. Upgrading to 2.0 or 4 meg requires the disabling of all of the internal RAM, and these instructions are also included. The floppy disk contains a memory tester TOS program, and the remainder of the programs deal with the 4,096 color option. If you're living with your ST with only 512K or one meg of RAM, I hope you decide to upgrade soon, and I give you my personal recommendation for the RAM+ Board from JRI. -Ben Hamilton, Sysop of Virtual Reality BBS, Copperas Cove, TX 817-547-1734 1200/2400/9600/14.4K bps HST-DS v.32bis/v.32/v.42/v.42bis Fnet #422, Fido-Net 1:395/6 JRI (John Russell Innovations) P. O. Box 5277 Pittsburg, CA 94565 415-458-9577 ======================================================================= HIGH RESOLUTION --------------- Viewpoints from the Atari Community by Nathan Potechin ======================================================================= ** Reprinted from the June 1991 AtariUser Magazine by permission. No further reprinting of this article is permitted except by permission of Quill Publishing, 818-332-0372. Subscription and distribution information for AtariUser is available at 800-333-3567. [Nathan Potechin is President of ISD Marketing, Inc., a Canadian company that has represented such products as VIP Professional, Masterplan, STAccounts and Accounts 2.0, as well as Ditek's Calamus family and DynaCADD. Nathan is also Vice President of Ditek International and President of the IAAD.] Atari Corporation's performance over the past few years in continental North America has been discussed by better writers than I. It's matter of record. What I'd like to share with you is what some of us have been doing about it, ad give you a better understanding of what it means to be a registered Atari Developer in 1991. Back in September 1989, a large group of Atari Developers got together to have a meeting at the WAACE User Group Show in the Washington, D.C. area. The result was the formation of the IAAD (Independent Association of Atari Developers). Since its inception, I have had the honor to serve as President of this association. The immediate goal of the IAAD was to help all of our members to help themselves. Our group of Atari Developers contains people from widely diverse backgrounds. We have Engineers, programmers in a large variety of languages, marketing types, hardware gurus and software gurus, all united by one common goal--survival. Profit is nice too. We are an unusual bunch in that we chose to develop for the Atari platform, instead of jumping on the bandwagon of the more prolific platforms. "I love my Atari" is quite often a fact of life with this group. This personal feeling is indicative of our own natures, and not a measure of Atari's success--where reality rears it ugly head. The fact is, by sharing or pooling our collective knowledge in terms of advertising, marketing, channels of distribution, trade shows, user group shows etc., many of our members can receive valuable assistance. And share we do, in a manner unprecedented in the computer industry. Some years ago, Atari had substantially greater geographic dealer representation and market penetration in North America. Then the erosion set in, making harder and harder to justify basic overhead, let alone development costs. Meanwhile, the European Atari community was doing fine, thank you. That's not to say that the International Atari subdivisions were creating "streets of gold", but they were doing better than we were here. So one avenue that was available to assist North American developers was to supply the contact information from those of us with worldwide representation to those with little or none. This was done, and it made a difference. It wasn't a cure or a sure thing, but it meant a lot to some developers. A major difference in the market and product mix has occurred over the past few years. As the Atari platform develops, the hardware becomes more sophisticated. This is a natural progression, offering a challenge to developers to keep abreast or take advantage of the latest technology. Products such as two I proudly represent, DynaCADD and Calamus, use that technology to offer viable, professional workstations that can not and will not be ignored. A classic example, and one I enjoy whenever possible, is demonstrating Calamus to someone that deigned to condescendingly offer a few minutes of their precious time to see what this "Atari toy" could produce. Two minutes is more than enough time to create a page using features their DTP software probably does not have, showing them screen representation that has been WYSIWYG for over two years, and then output to Atari's SLM804 or SLM605 in seconds. The usual DTP person usually plans their coffee breaks around about output time. Products like Calamus on the Atari are a real eye opener for them, and you may correctly have guessed that this is the single most enjoyable part of my job. Consider the above paragraph a preamble of what is to come. I have just returned from CEPS (Corporate Electronic Publishing Show) in Chicago. Without a doubt, this show saw the most professional exhibit that Atari ever created. Do not confuse this with "most expensive", "largest" etc., because it was not. But it definitely was an excellent representation of Atari desktop publishing workstations. The brochure was their most professional to date. The Atari booth location, situated directly between Linotype/HELL and Ventura, allowed us to show the folks at Linotype a few things about their imagesetters that they previously had not known or acknowledged. I can assure you that now, they know. It also gave us the opportunity to realize just how busy we were compared to Ventura's booth. I notice things like this. Others will begin to notice the change as well. July 1991 will see the release of the next generation of Calamus, Calamus S and SL, as well as approximately 2 dozen separate modules. Before the end of this year, DynaCADD will be available on the TT, Amiga, Mac, and IBM under Windows 3.0, with a UNIX version close behind, all file compatible. I have been professionally involved with the Atari Computers since August 1985. I was there when my 520 was starving for "anything" that it could run. I was there through the drought. And I'm definitely going to be here when Atari finally and firmly establishes it presence and credibility as a professional workstation, once and for all, in North America. Personally and professionally, I can't wait. Nathan Potechin [AtariUser Magazine offers this space each month to members of our community, to express themselves on matters of interest to Atari Users.] ======================================================================= LOGIC COMPUTER SHOW ------------------- from UseNet ======================================================================= Here in Zurich there has been the anual logic computer show. There have been several new very interesting products to see, in particular a series of new Unix machines in the "popular" class. The first I've seen is the Mac with A/UX 2.1. It isn't yet a SYSV, and there are some compatibility problems, but the BSD and SYSV libraries are included, and the integration of MultiFinder and Unix with X Window 11R4 is really impressive. I find they are really on the good way. I've been there during about 15-20 min, and Dr. Antonov, the Unix Guru there, I think, explained to me every detail with enourmous enthusiasm. Althougth I don't have a Mac, and the price of A/UX 2.1 is to high for me (not to speek about the X Win., wich is not bundled with), his presentation was fantastic. The second system I've seen is the Amiga 3000UX. It was also really impressive! The OpenLook interface operated exactly the same way as the Sun's OpenWindows 2.0 we have at school, and the price was really interesting too. The Commodore port of SYSV is the most complete I've seen for this class of machines. It comes with everything, from the networking capabilities to the BSD lib. and util. and OpenLook. The guy there is a student of economical computing at the Univ. ZH (his name is Blatter), and he let me "play" with the machine, showed me an xterm connection with another non Unix Amiga, and so on. At last I came to the Atari boots and I couldn't belive my (x)eyes. The Unix machine was there and there was nobody around it!!! The windowing interface looked great. I went there and tried some commands out in a csh, as the cd, ls, and so on. Then came a man, and with an impolite voice asked me :"kann ich Ihnen helfen?" (can I help you?) and stand in front of me so that I could not see the screen! The message was clear: Take your hands off my machine and get out of here! I asked him some details about the new machine (btw: how can an Atari laser work with Unix w/o stopping the processor? I think it is impossible by soft) and his answer were allways very expeditive and short. Absolutely no enthusiasm from his side! The only thing he wanted was that nobody put his finger on the keyboard! (he maybe was afraid that somebody typed "rm -r /" or something like that). Anyway he stood all the time with his shoulder between me and the screen! His name is Mr. Mester, from Atari Germany. I personnaly find that if they sent some young guy involved in the devloppent of ASV, instead of this (edited), it would be much better. (Sorry for title on this bandwidth, but he was really *edited*!) If this is the Atari policy I think I'll buy an Amiga 3000 UX, wich is btw ready and can be bought w/o problems (Atari Developer machine will be out in August!!!). Ok, that's all! I'm sorry to write something like that, 'cause I was really excited at the idea I could see the ASV jewell, but it wasn't what I expected. I hoped that I could write a good description of what I would see, but I didn't see very much... Ciao --- Rick Opinion expressed here are mine, and I'm proud of them !!! ======================================================================= Z*NET SOFTWARE SHELF -------------------- by Ron Berinstein ======================================================================= LHA130.ARC is the newest LHA variety, well suited for making and unmaking .LZH files. LZH11319.LZH is the latest optimized LHARC version, also well suited for .LZH files, and now well suited for use with Charles F. Johnson's ARCSHELL (ARCSH25.ARC). UNLZH172.ARC has also been known as a reputable, very fast .LZH extractor. XLHARC12.LZH still another variety. And those looking for files that will self extract might well be interested in SFX_LZH.LZH. And interesting also is PFXPAX.LZH, a runtime LZH compressor. Then again, there are also some good old standbys like LHARC060.LZH, and LHARC102.ARC. Others like FASTLZH2.LZH (other versions as well). .ARC files as well can be changed to the smaller .LZH format too! Many folks use ARCLZH30.LZH for exactly that. And while on the subject of .ARC files... Which .ARC file program should you use to uncompress a software file that has folders in it? Of course, easy answer. You all knew the answer right away, right? ARC602.TTP will do it! And now ladies and gentleman arm yourselves with your compressors and extractors and proceed to the next paragraph, wherein you will find plenty of chances to use them! O_LZHLST.LZH is a verbose file lister for .LZH files. Using it you will be able to tell in advance just what that .LZH file contains. DCR_TMAG.ARC DC Real-Time Magnifier will give you 8X magnification of the screen! Get close up where it counts; fat-bits in programs that don't have them! Great for paint programs. Move the mouse and the screen is updated in real-time! 100% assembly. ST, STe and TT compatible. Calamus Users Alert: WINDSORD.LZH Strong strokes, solid serifs characterize this unique face. Converted from the Mac Type 1, using the great MegaType utilities. Enjoy!! For Calamus only... UPPERWES.LZH You've seen the New Yorker magazine; you remember the unique typeface used for the logo. Well, thanks to David Rakowski and his Mac, you can now have that same typeface to create your own New Yorker magazine! Converted from the Mac Type 1 using the great MegaType utilities. For Calamus only... UNCIALDS.LZH A CELTIC looking font, this one reminds you of St. Patrick and the Emerald Isle. Converted from the Mac Type 1 using the great utilities from MegaType. For Calamus only... RECYCLE.LZH A Calamus font converted from the Mac Type 1, Recycle consists of various recycling symbols in place of letters. I don't think everyone will want this, but if you do any work where you need to indicate recyclability, you'll want this font. For Calamus only... GALLERIA.LZH You've seen this typeface around, in various logos, among other things. Converted from the Mac. For Calamus only... A New ALaddin! ST_ALAD.ARC ST Aladdin v1.23 - Latest version of this excellent GEnie navigation program. TRANSLIB.ARC The MIDI TransLibrarian is a shareware desk accessory for the Atari ST that allows you to load and save System Exclusive data from any MIDI device. DUALFORM.ARC Dual Form creates discs that can be used on both single, and dual sided drives, but does so in a unique way. It creates a folder called, "side 2" on the disk. Single sided drives can read everything except that folder. Double sided drives get to read everything. F_FEED.ARC ACC & PRG (just re-name) to send a form feed to the printer. Handy for starting a new page with files printed from the desktop and some other programs. GFA 3 source included. STWEL41.LZH ST Writer Elite 4.1 - Bug fixed, if file ended in ^Z, print to disk would not terminate. New Feature - Print device defaults to Printer, but if changed will remain on that setting. Fully configurable to color, default file specifier, tabs, format line. 3 fonts in TT med and high res, just update files. Use UNLZH 1.7x to decompress! STW_GS41.LZH ST Writer Elite 4.1 Spanish and German versions. See description of ST Writer Elite 4.1 , English version, for changes. BMAKER19.ARC - Book Maker takes ASCII files and generates POSTSCRIPT code for use with UltraScript to print the file in "Book format" (four pages per sheet of paper -- two pages per side). - Options include page numbering, Cover Page creation, multiple fonts and more. Fixes pagination with pt. sizes less than 10, and includes PRINT QUEUE for BATCH printing. Tis' the day of the Indianapolis 500! INDYCAR.LZH It's that time of year in Indiana when the Indy cars start to run in the Indianapolis 500, so the author of this file thought he'd sample some of the sounds of the race. RECERCAR.ARC This is a big piece for HUGE pipe organ. Comprises three files: READ.ME (more about the music) an .MTS file (Atari Master Tracks Pro format), and a .MID file (Type 1 MIDI file--no expression in the tempo). Ok, become a "beta tester" - Now's your chance to give important feedback to a developer. Download BENCH.LZH for the info. BENCH.LZH The NBM benchmark program. Tests your machine through five specific routines, including math, memory fetch/store, disk drive read/ write and dialog box draw. Results of tests on many machines are included. More results are needed. If you have results that are not yet included in the database, you are requested to help participate. DBLEFEAT.LZH This accessory from Claus Brod(author of PoolFix_CB) will disable the growing and shrinking box effects associated with GEM windows and dialog boxes; it will also allow redirection of drives - a program that always looks for files on drive A can be redirected to another drive! Full English documentation included. Shareware. GEMVW104.LZH Updated version of GemView! Even newer than the previous very recent upload! ENG_DRAC.ARC English AND color version of Drachen. Drachen is a Shanghai type game. Quite popular and worth the download... STREE104.ARC STree lets you search your drives for files meeting a specification - wildcards, attributes, size, date & time and bytes within a file - and then manipulate the matching files just like the new TT desktop. This new version fixes some occasional compatability problems. Well SORT these out! FILESORT.LZH A simple way to sort ascii lists and stuff... simply feed it to this program and voila! This program, Filesort v1.0, is FREEWARE. It is great for BBS sysops who need to sort a list of whatever, as well as for anyone who uses ASCII lists! BTW, this program will sort ANYTHING ascii! It is even fun to sort text and try to figure out what it was!! ha! DIR15.LZH Utility to sort/search for files with several criteria or masks. Works on folders, files, and partitions. GFA BASIC 3.5 source included. ELFBOO.ARC ELFBOOT is a new startup utility for the ST, which is offered as shareware by Elfin Magic Software. Put it in your AUTO folder. The author boasts that this program compares to commercial offerings! It offers GEM-like mouse control! FMC.LZH FMC.PRG means forced media change, or this small .prg will force TOS 1.0 to recognize a disk change by simply pressing <Esc>. (Apparently some versions of TOS 1.0 didn't do that.) SUNMOON.LZH Sun_Moon.lzh is a PD program showing rise/set times of the sun and moon for various selectable cities. 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. ======================================================================= GENIE CONFERENCE CALENDER ------------------------- from GEnie ======================================================================= DTP CONFERENCE AND FREE TIME OFFERED Monday June 3, 1991, the ST RT on GEniw will host it's first DTP conference with Ron Grant, New SysOp, and offer free time during the conference to the attendees. WIN FREE PAGESTREAM FONT DISKS DURING "FONT NIGHT" IN THE SOFTLOGIK ROUNDTABLE! This coming Tuesday, June 4th, will be "Font Night" in the SoftLogik RoundTable. We'll be having our first monthly PageStream Conference and the theme will be "Fonts for Atari and Amiga PageStream." All PageStream users (and other interested parties) are invited to join our panel of Font Masters to ask questions about the fonts they create. The font makers will discuss the various disks they offer, what programs they use to create their fonts, where they get their inspiration for fonts, and much much more. Learn what "hinting" is, how to get the most out of your PostScript and Non-Postscript printer (as concerns fonts), and more! Each of the font creators has donated a high-quality PageStream font disk for this event, and we'll be randomly selecting winners of these disks throughout the evening. In addition, one lucky winner will receive every Adobe Type 1 font in the SoftLogik RT by US Mail -- no downloading time or expense! These Adobe fonts can be printed using PageStream 2.1 which is currently available for the Commodore Amiga and will be available very shortly for the Atari ST. Tuesday, June 4th, from 9:45 to 10:45pm Eastern Time. The SoftLogik Real Time Conference Room on GEnie. Type "M385;2" or "SOFTLOGIK" (without the quotes) at any GEnie prompt. In addition to the team of SoftLogik Sysops, we'll be joined by Safari Fonts President Jay Pierstorff, Cherry Fonts President Todd Johnson, font creators Dennis Palumbo, Bernie Lagrave and others..! ======================================================================= CHICAGO COMPUTERFEST BY ATARI ----------------------------- by Mike Brown ======================================================================= Lake County Area Computer Enthusiasts, in cooperation with Atari Corp., present the Chicago Computerfest by Atari, November 23 and 24th 1991. Show hours will be 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM both days. 1: Chicago - My kind of town. Chicago is known by many names- "The Second City", "The Windy City" and so on. Chicago is in the heartland of the nation, bordered on the east side by Lake Michigan, and the west side by one of the busiest airports in the world, O'Hare International. When you bring your family with you to the Chicago Computerfest, they will have plenty to do and see if they tire of the show itself. 2: Show concept The Chicago Computerfest has been brewing for over a year; The first thoughts about sponsoring an international computer show began after our highly successful "Atari SwapFest" held in June, 1990. With help and support from Greg Pratt, Bob Brodie and others at Atari Corp. we began the process of putting this show together. I think that you will be impressed by the "polished" appearance of the facility that we have chosen - the facilities and services provided to participants at this show are the same that have been provided to larger computer oriented shows, such as the Softsource show that was held the Ramada O'Hare this past April. We are confident that this broad reaching publicity will improve the demographics of our show compared to other Atari-focused shows of the past. As Atari's Bob Brodie said, "...we must quit feeding on ourselves...". The Exhibits area The standard exhibitor booth will be professionally piped and draped, the booth will be clearly marked with a professionally printed sign and will contain one 8' draped table and two chairs. One 115 volt / 20 amp electrical outlet will be provided upon request (please note power requirement on contract form) to each booth. Additional power may be ordered at $55.00 per drop (consisting of two outlets). Telephone service will be provided to exhibitor booths if needed (requires that the exhibitor have a Ramada room number to charge calls to). Please give at least 60 days notice prior to the show opening date if you will be requiring additional power or telephone hookups. In addition to the above, we are able to provide items such as display cases, and special lighting for booths. Storage service is available for exhibitors prior to, and during the show. Please contact us for our special services rate list. The Gaming area Last year, I had the good fortune to attend the GenCon (North America's largest "Gaming" convention) in Milwaukee as a guest of the MilAtari user group and Atari Corp. Atari made a very strong showing at GenCon - many people who didn't even know that Atari made computers (or had thought that the company was out of business) were exposed to the 50+ machines available for use. All of the latest Atari ST games were available for attendees to play, and two full MIDI-maze rings drew a staggering number of attendees day and night, the entire run of the show (a week) into this unique real time multiplayer game. By special arrangement with MilAtari, and through the cooperation of Atari Corp. we will bring the excitement of GenCon to the Chicago Computerfest! There will be two full MIDI-Maze rings with ongoing competitions. The "open gaming" will allow attendees to reserve an ST system and select a popular game title of their choice to play. There will be LYNX competitions for fun and for prizes. Admittance to the gaming area will require the purchase of a general admission ticket, and the "gamers" will have to gain entrance through the exhibits area - that means additional potential sales and exposure for YOU. The Learning area The space adjoining the main convention hall will be configured as a "classroom" setting. This area will be available for developers to teach, in a "hands on" environment, the use of their products. Atari Corporation will provide a number of complete ST systems, overhead LCD screen Projector, and PA system to be used for this teaching area. The room will be set up classroom style with the "instructor" at the head of the group. There will be an additional charge for attendees to participate in these class sessions, advance registration (due to the limited capacity) will be required. The Seminar area There will be 3 seminar rooms available to attendees. Each room will be capable of seating an average of 50 persons per room. These rooms will be available at no additional cost for exhibitor use during the course of the show for group product demos and Q & A sessions. Other Attractions Other special events planned for the course of the show will be: a Welcome Reception Friday night in the 9th floor Penthouse Ballroom, (sponsored by Atari), A Saturday Night Banquet (we are assured that the food WILL be edible!) in the Grand Salon (A number of famous guest speakers are planned to speak at the Banquet), a MIDI conference, and conferences sponsored by Atari to educate dealers on technical aspects of the Atari ST/TT line. There will be a general Q & A session in Salon A-B-C both days with Atari Corp. It is expected that Bob Brodie will give his usual fast paced talk about "The State of Atari". Seating capacity for the presentation is approximately 300. About the show facility The Ramada Hotel O'Hare is situated just outside the northeast gate to O'Hare International Airport, near the intersection of I-90, I-294, and I-190. There is complementary shuttle service provided for hotel guests from all airport terminals. We have negotiated a highly competitive $60.00 a night (plus tax) rate based on double occupancy, for Computerfest attendees. Please use the inserted reservation card for other rates. It is necessary to use the special Ramadareservation card to obtain these discount prices. The hotel accepts: American Express, Carte Blanche, Diner's Club, Eurocard, Mastercard, Multicard and Visa. The hotel is a modern "Barrier Free" design allowing access to the show facilities by all attendees. Planes, Trains and Automobiles Public transportation is available to downtown Chicago as well as the greater Chicago area. Chicago's Union Station offers Amtrak service to/from the continental USA and Canada. A number of rental car agencies are based in the immediate area. Because of the large number of companies - prices are very competitive. If you wish us to check prices for you, please indicate the class of car and extras that you desire, and we will be glad to send you information via GEmail. Driving to Chicago Computerfest by car is easy- the show site is just Northwest of the intersection of I-190, I-294, and I-90. The Ramada can be reached by taking the Higgins road exit off of I-90 and turning north at Mannheim Road - the hotel can be found at the Northwest corner of Higgins and Mannheim road. Fees and admissions Admission to the Chicago Computerfest by Atari will be $6.00 per day at the door. A two-day ticket set will sell for $10.00. The Learning Seminars will require advance registration and an additional fee; as soon as our program is set, we will send all of the details. If you have a question or suggestion, please don't hesitate to contact us in writing, via my GEmail address (M.BROWN56) or via the show hotline number. We are eager to help and serve you - tell us what you need! How to reach us Chicago Computerfest by Atari C/O LCACE P.O. Box 8788 Waukegan, IL 60079-8788 24hr Hotline- 708-566-0682 ======================================================================= Z*MAGAZINE ARCHIVES ------------------- June 11, 1986 ======================================================================= WHAT IS ZMAG?? (1986) MSG#: 1621 Lines=16 Recv SENT:JUNE 10,1986 AT 10:03 PM TO: WODEN-SYSOP FROM:RICHARD SCHRAUDNER SUBJ:ZMAG? Zmag seems to be a GREAT idea. When I think back to my early atari days, up all night keying in Compute programs & now fully immersed in the "mainstream" of computer technology, I'm amazed at the oportunitues to learn & enjoy. Zmag seems to fill an additional void that goes beyond an individual board or even network. I'll D/L some more as time allows & get it up to the Fun house (a bit hard to get to during available hours). Thx & looking forward actually meeting. Message # :243 Date & Time :06/08/86 23:27:26 Subject :HELP/OPINION To :RON KOVACS-SYSOP Sent by :THE SOCIALIST First of all you must have some weird control stuff in your main menu which is screwing me over something bad over here... Jus' doesn't look right in ASCII. Now for the "who asked you?" Department. Very honestly, I think this BBS is going downhill and I think something should be done about it! First off, why cant you be indepentdant? Why must you be in a big interstate network, have a big interstate magazine extending all the way to Chicago, and be so damn stuck up.............I mean, you're still the same but you seem to want to jump on the bandwagon, and as a result this BBS isnt just a BBS, it is a collection of BBS's all the way around the tri-state area. I am beginning to feel like I'm on some big timesharing thing like Compuserve or something. My suggestion, drop the whole thing and stop catering to all these stupid BBS's and user groups. I have never heard of BAT, or even BAUD, before a month or so ago. And I don't care. I also don't care wut BBS's are in this great Network which in my opinion is a fluke..............This ZMAG concept is full of (edited) and will never last. Note: What the heck happen to this guy... <grin> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE is a free weekly publication of ROVAC INDUSTRIES. All content in this edition is Copyright, 1991 by the original authors and by ROVAC. Information and viewpoints are presented by the individual authors and not Z*NET. Z*Net is not affiliated with Atari Corporation. Material in this issue may be reprinted without specific permission of Z*Net PROVIDED THAT: the item is not otherwise indicated as NOT being reprintable; the group doing the reprinting is non-profit; the reprinting will have a circulation of not more than 500; the reprint shall bear the copyright of Rovac Industries as well as the author's name and issue number of this edition of Z*NET. Syndication rights to the Z*NET NEWSWIRE and other services are available under contract. Contact Rovac for more information at 908-968-2024, the Z*Net BBS at 908-968-8148, or by mail at Rovac Industries, P.O. Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846, GEnie at "Z-NET", CompuServe at 71777,2140. Z*NET USA (East) BBS FNET NODE 593 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~