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==(((((((((( == Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE =========(( === ----------------------------------------- =======(( ===== July 5, 1991 Issue #91-28 =====(( ======= ----------------------------------------- ==(((((((((( == (c)1989-1990-1991, Z*Net Publishing *********************************************** CompuServe - 75300,1643 GEnie - Z-NET *********************************************** CONTENTS THE EDITORS DESK...........................Terry Schreiber Z*NET NEWSWIRE............................................ DYNACADD CONFERENCE..................................GEnie HIGH RESOLUTION............................ Sheldon Winick THE SOFTWARE SHELF...........................Ron Bernstein CODEHEAD FREEWARE............................Press Release Z-NET CANADA...............................Terry Schreiber CHERRY RELEASES NEW FONTS....................Press Release ======================================================================= THE EDITORS DESK ---------------- by Terry Schreiber ======================================================================= Ron's away on holidays basking in the sun at the beach and enjoying a much deserved and well needed vaction. He will return next week - weather permitting, we hope. Z-Net is celebrating one year on the F-NET. One year ago this month Z-Net expanded into the F-Net and today there fifty-six Nodes or BBS systems worldwide carrying the Z-Net ST conference. This is in addition to the hundreds of BBS systems each week that carry the weekly issue of Z-Net Online for their callers to download. If you are a BBS system operator and wish to carry the conference please contact Node #593 or Node #505 on the F-Net. Z-Net will be also be expanding into the FIDO network early next month. ======================================================================= Z-NET NEWSWIRE ======================================================================= ATARI LASER TONER $49 FROM DAK High-tech liquidator DAK offered the PC-ready brother of theAtari SLM804 laser printer for only $699 in recent catalogs. LaserPro built the SLM804 for Atari, and their Silver Express model is nearly identical to the Atari version. Remaining quantities of the now out-of-production line were sold to DAK, who has sold out, according to inquiries this week. But all is not lost, as DAK signed agreements that should assure Toner and Drum availability for another five years. Since these items directly interchange with Atari's SLM804, owners of the "obsolete" printer can easily get supplies for years to come. Toner is available for $49 (order number 5848), and drum kits are $199 (order number 5849), each plus shipping. Ask for their great catalog. DAK, 800-325-0800, 8200 Remmet Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304. NEW PORTFOLIO HD AVAILABLE There is finally a hard disk unit really available for the Portfolio! The BSE Company, 14701 Candeda Place, Tustin, CA 92680, (714)-832-4316 have developed the Flashdrive hard disk unit. The unit connects to the Portfolio via the Parallel Interface. The 20mb version sells for $499. XoteriX has been offering a similar $899 unit, but they build them as they are ordered rather than having stock available. TRAMIEL's 7th ANNIVERSARY AT ATARI July 3 marked the SEVENTH anniversary of the Tramiel Atari Corp. It was in 1984 that Warner Communications gave up trying to sell a machine they didn't understand to a market that Jack Tramiel had personally shaped. Jack had just left Commodore where he had made the C64 into "THE CHOICE" for small home computers, despite a limited operating architecture and a dubious price advantage over the superior Atari line. The "family way" of the Tramiel's wasn't favored at Commodore, so Jack and the kids quit and bought the competition. And Atari began a new phase. Jack and sons Sam, Leonard, and Garry held a company pizza party on July 3 to celebrate the past and to toast the future. Attending were the new crew at Sunnyvale who we all hope will help make that future brighter than the past: Bob Brodie, Bill Rehbock, and others. Honored guest was Kent Fillmore, product manager of GEnie Telecommunication Service, who was visiting to find out more about the company that motivates the busiest area on his international system. GENIE ST RT HAS 20,000th LIBRARY FILE This last week, GEnie's Atari ST Roundtable released the 20,000th file to be uploaded to the service. The file is a demo of an updated Font Designer/Editor by D.F. Turnock of Megabyte. GEnie typically gains between 50 and 100 files every week, with "hot" files gathering 500 or more accesses in the first weeks of availability. Atari's official presence and Darlah Pine's dedication as RT System Operator have made GEnie the most popular online service for Atari users. ======================================================================= The following is a reprint by permission from the July 1991 issue of AtariUser Magazine. Further reprinting requires additional permission of AtariUser and Quill Publishing. Home Subscriptions and more information is available at 800-333-3567. HIGH RESOLUTION: Viewpoint by SHELDON WINICK ======================================================================= Marketing the Atari Those of us who have been following the Atari market for any length of time have seen Atari's marketing policies take a roller-coaster ride over the years as the company has attempted to find its niche in the industry. By the time the Tramiel family took control of Atari from Warner Communications, whose years of poor marketing had managed to alienate most of Atari's established dealer base, the main source of Atari equipment had become closeout sales at mass-merchandisers or from mail-order marketers. With a very meager dealer base to work with, the original ST's were put out to the mail-order merchants and volume discounters who had managed to stay with the Atari platform up to that time. But when Atari rolled out its Mega line of small business machines a few years later, they also decided that they needed to cultivate a new image and larger dealer base in this country. While the mail-order marketers and discount merchants had done a fine job of marketing the early ST's to the existing Atari user base, they were not getting exposure to the general public and not making a real penetration into the business and educational market. Furthermore, the mail order discounters had established a "street price" for Atari equipment that was too low to offer a full-service storefront dealer a reasonable margin of profit. Mail-order marketing was banned entirely and the ST/Mega systems were taken out of general distribution and only sold direct to dealerships by Atari Corp. But without a concentrated effort to recruit and support local dealerships, as well as provide them with the necessary advertising, recruitment of new dealerships was not successfully accomplished. The total ban on mail order also resulted in making Atari's systems unavailable in areas of the country where no dealership existed. Atari is currently letting the pendulum swing back in the other direction, and has returned its products to general distribution to make them more readily available to any dealer who wants them. Mail order merchandising has returned to the Atari marketplace as well and has immediately caused some controversy in the Atari community. The premier issue of AtariUser Magazine featured an ad on the inside front cover from a mail order discounter offering the 1040STe at a very low price spotlighted in a large point text. Unfortunately, that ad seemed to create more controversy and discussion than the excellent content of the articles in the issue. I understand that several dealers complained bitterly to AtariUser, and I've heard that some even went so far as to dumpster their entire shipment. Many of Atari's dealerships in the country rely on Atari's 1040STe as their bread and butter machine. As such, they must either make a fair profit margin on that machine or move on to other markets. What has aggravated this controversy further is the national price war that a few of the mail order merchants have been engaging in over the past few months, and the threat that this same thing could happen to Atari business and professional systems as well. If the ability to make a fair margin of profit is eliminated, there will be very little incentive for dealers to carry and support the Atari platform. The problem remains in how to allow legitimate mail-order merchants to market their systems to those who prefer to shop in that market, while avoiding the national price wars and related controversy. It not only threatens the very survival of a large number of Atari's local full-service dealerships, but also creates the atmosphere that will undoubtedly prevent new Atari dealerships from being recruited. So, what is the solution to this complex problem? Perhaps the national Atari periodicals should consider adopting an advertising policy that would ban advertising pricing for Atari products in their publications. Advertisers could still inform consumers which products were available, and encourage shoppers to "call for best price". Without the fear of their customers picking up a periodical and being immediately introduced to absurdly low prices being flashed in their faces, local dealers would not be as reluctant to carry, and recommend to their customers, magazines for the Atari platform. We have seen the demise of too many Atari related periodicals already; I would hate to think that more may be lost because Atari dealers might choose to not carry or promote them. There is room in the marketplace for legitimate mail order merchants, mass merchandisers, full service dealerships and VAR's. Each of these appeals to a different market segment, and each offers the potential of increasing Atari's market penetration in this country. But for everyone to be successful, it is necessary to establish some rules and guidelines along with a spirit of cooperation by all the players. We will all benefit from a greater market penetration and larger user base of Atari owners. And we will all benefit when the consumer has the ability to shop for Atari systems at the type of merchandiser who best suits his or her own individual needs and requirements. But these goals can only be accomplished if we can find a way to cooperate and work together toward improving Atari's market position instead of trying to reduce it even further by detrimental marketing tactics. BIO: Sheldon Winick operates the Computer STudio, a very successful Atari dealership in Asheville, North Carolina. He has recently been writing for the online magazine GEnie Lamp, and is in the process of organizing a national Atari Dealers Association. AtariUser's Publisher's Note: AtariUser understands both sides of this delicate issue. Although almost no one directly contacted AtariUser complaining of deeply-discounted ST prices, AtariUser has adopted an advertising policy whereby Atari computer prices may not be bannered or highlighted. - Steve Lesh Z*Net Editor's post script: Even after the above policy was instituted, a single advertiser submitted a non-conforming ad. It came to AtariUser too late to be modified before printing, and so was included in the same July issue. The publisher has taken further action to prevent a repeat of this problem, as well as to assure that advertisers do not advertise products that they do not in fact have available. ======================================================================= DYNACADD R.T.C. --------------- Courtesy of GEnie Online Services Edited by Terry Schreiber ======================================================================= Sysop-JEFF.W> On behalf of the Atari ST Roundtable, I welcome all of you to the DynaCADD 2.0 RealTime Conference featuring Nathan Potechin and David Fletcher. We're here to talk about the new version of ISD's DynaCADD tonight. Version 2.0. Our guests are ISD's president, Nathan Potechin,and DynaCADD's project manager, Richard Fletcher. Nathan is an old hand at these conferences, but I believe this may be David's first RTC here on GEnie. Welcome, David! Nathan and David, do you have any opening remarks you'd like to make? Dave/Nate-ISD> One or two :-) Allow me to take this opportunity to welcome you to our formal conference on DynaCADD. I have been guilty of assuming that by now,everyone is familiar with the premier CADD software on the Atari platform. In case you are new to our community, a complete list of the features of DynaCADD can be found in our library #30. Type M475;3 then 8 at the prompt to SET the library to ISD Product Support. If you then type 3 and 'search' by DynaCADD, you will find a wealth of information, compressed text files with past messages from our product support area in the BB, complete DEMO versions of DynaCADD, save disabled, right up to and including version 2.0. New files include; DY_20TXT.ARC file #20017, which contains a straight ascii file listing all of the new enhancements and changes incorporated into version 2.0 .. DYDEMO2.ARC file #20004 which contains the relative support files and folders for both the ST and TT version of 2.0 but does not include the programs themselves which can be found in DYSTDEMO.ARC file #19999 and DYTTDEMO.ARC file #20001. This means you MUST download #20004 and then your choice of either the ST or TT version or both of course. Now that I've properly directed you to the relevant library files :-) I must also mention that we are online daily in our own category in the Atari BB. Type 475;1 to enter the BB, then SET 16 at the prompt to arrive at the ISD Product Support area. Topic 3 is DynaCADD. Any question or concern that you raise there will be addressed appropriately and immediately. I have with me the man that has personally written a few million lines of code for DynaCADD, David Fletcher. Ask him anything. :-) Any questions? Sysop-JEFF.W> Can we start with a brief overview of DynaCADD for those whomay not be familiar with it yet? Dave/Nate-ISD> DynaCADD is a complete 2D and 3D computer aided design and drafting solution. It was first launched on the Atari platform back in August 1988. Since then it has undergone substantial improvements and enhancements and is classed as a leading edge CADD solution by non-biased 3rd parties. :-) JOE.WATERS> Where would you place DynaCADD against applications for other platforms like Claris Cad? And what do you mean by 3-D? Dave/Nate-ISD> DynaCADD is a true 3D package as opposed to the much more common 2.5D. The latest version, 2.0, NOW SHIPPING, has major enhancements in the 3D area. DynaCADD is a general purpose CADD package and it is comparable to anything within many thousands of dollars of its price range and then some. JOE.WATERS> So I take you mean that objects can be viewed in true perspective with wire frame ort shading? Solid objects, that is. Dave/Nate-ISD> Please do not confuse CAD with Solid Modelling although there has in fact been some cross-over in recent years. DynaCADD is indeed headed towards Solid Modelling as an optional add-on. DynaCADD uses parallel projection. JOE.WATERS> Perhaps I am being naive, but I thought 3-D meant much the same as solid modelling.Next questioner. R.GRANT11> I've had the pleasure of seeing (and playing with) the 2.0 TT demo, Nathan. The questions I have are: A) What are the upgrade costs from 1.84 and the old cartridge dongle to 2.0 with the new dongle, and B) I'm still confused about plotter support. You've answered this for me a dozen times, and I never seem to be able to get it right Whooop! I mean 'DIGITIZER' support. Dave/Nate-ISD> The upgrade cost from DynaCADD 1.84 to 2.0 is US $99.95 or the equivalent in Canadian dollars, about $119.95 this week. And yes, we have finally changed our cartridge port dongle and replaced it with a small, tiny, little, unobtrusive joystick key. We now have all the neccessay ingredients in-house for proper Digitizer support, including DynaCADD specific templates as well as the accessories to drive the CRP Digitizer. R.GRANT11> Thanks, Nathan. I'm still confused, but hey....e-mail's not far away..:-) R.MONFORT1> yes, Nat, Dave how will Dyncadd import Lexicor files? Dave/Nate-ISD> Thanks for asking Ringo. We both import and export 3D2 file format that will work with CAD 3D, Chronos ... R.MONFORT1> Nat.Dave. how about the 3-D modes into Calamus? Dave/Nate-ISD> 3D modes into Calamus? R.MONFORT1> Dave. pictures at are render in 3-d. R.MONFORT1> Is DXF on 3-D now for all to see and use? Dave/Nate-ISD> I cannot answer that yet Ringo. Wait for the Calamus SL CO please. Sorry :-) M.GROSS10> First, great program! We'd like to know if you have any plans on advertising, particularly in the US? Dave/Nate-ISD> Now that's what I call a loaded question. Are you referring to advertising the Atari version of DynaCADD in Atari magazines, DynaCADD, any version in any magazine or what? M.GROSS10> Actually, any version of DynaCADD would be great, but of course we'd prefer to see the TT promoted! Dave/Nate-ISD> First of all we need the serious CADD magazines to review DynaCADD on the TT. This is something that we are working on even as we type. We are most anxious that they see the resulting combination in action and realize what people like yourselves have known all along. There will be an upcoming review in a major CAD magazine and we will most probably advertise in conjunction with it and perhaps tag DynaCADD resellers to insure interested people can get the opportunity to actually see the workstation in action. Unfortunately, the reality is that until there is a tad more proliferation of TT Dealer penetration, it is not all that viable in terms of dollars and sense. M.GROSS10> It would be nice to see a joint campaign with Atari and ISD. Love to see a copy of that article! Dave/Nate-ISD> David says he will send you one personally. M.GROSS10> Thanks guys! That's all we have for now. JOE.WATERS> Could you give us pricing for new owners? And do you expect to evolve along more modular lines? Finally, how smooth is the new version on the slower Atari platforms or is the TT the platform of choice? Dave/Nate-ISD> A joint campaign with DynaCADD and Atari, be still my heart. JOE.WATERS> Do you expect to demo at WAACE? Dave/Nate-ISD> DynaCADD has NOT changed in price. These are good questions. Thank you. DynaCADD version 2.0 remains at a US retail price of $995.00. Some Dealers do sell for less. And yes,DynaCADD is definitely evolving along a modular path but that must wait for the next major upgrade which I'm not prepared to discuss at this time. Allow me to say though, that we have our work laid out for the next few years. The ST version of DynaCADD is excellent JD. We do advice that you use a math coprocessor if you require serious 3D design but otherwise, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised and if you have some friends using one of those other CAD packages on their IBM or whatever they will be amazed!! JOE.WATERS> It's nice to see someone in the Atari market who thinks in terms of years. Next questioner. Dave/Nate-ISD> I'm sorry, did I miss a question? Did you ask if we will be demoing at WAACE this year? We have committed to a booth at WAACE which is a first for us. As you know, we always prefered to support the local area Dealers but this time, I think we have more than enough new and exciting products, ON THE ATARI PLATFORM, to warrant having our own display. JOE.WATERS> A demo would be real nice. I am sure we can find space for you and perhaps a surrogate operator and someone to watch/help with your booth while one of you is away. next. Dave/Nate-ISD> Thanks JD. Appreciate it. E.STUCKEY> Hi Dave and Nathan, great list of new features. A couple of questions, if I create a 3D wireframe sphere, how is it faced with 3D faces? How can you use a digitizer and a plotter with only one serial port? and will hidden line removal work with all entities? Dave/Nate-ISD> Ed, to create a 3D sphere, create the outline and use the "new" REVOLVE with 3D FACES command, this also applies to PROJECT, SWEEP and TRANSLATE. You cannot use both a Digitizer and Plotter simultaneously from the same port. Thats a hardware question. Hidden Line Removal gives you the option to display all entities, however, only the 3D faces have Hidden Lines removed. E.STUCKEY> Are there any 3rd party developers working on say library symbols. How is Dynacadd being received in Europe? Dave/Nate-ISD> Yes there are, you can always import files in DXF format. I might add that our DXF translator has now been upgraded to release 10 and supports 2D, 2.5D and 3D. We do have people who are currently working on specific DynaCADD libraries, more on that at a later date. DynaCADD has always been well received in Europe. Recently, we released the German version of DynaCADD to a fantastic reception. This includes all the platforms for which DynaCADD is available. We now have official DynaCADD representation in about 14 countries. P.NEREO> Does the new version support software clipping? On 6-6-91, in reply to some problems I was having getting my plotter to output only part of a drawing, David said it would, but I missed any reference in the upgrade literature. Dave/Nate-ISD> David is sitting beside me going "oh Oh'. I'm sorry, this has not been incorporated in 2.0 but now that the pressure is off and we are finally shipping 2.0, we can now devote some time to addressing software clipping on plotters that do not support this. Please understand that we can only do our best and we do have a list that seems endless no matter how much we add. P.NEREO> What about new literature to accompany the upgrade? New manual or update? New tutorials? (would be great!) or training video? Dave/Nate-ISD> We have completely updated the internal context sensitive help files completely up to date. We have also just finished updating our Chalice 3D tutorial and I will upload it this week. We have added some of the new features such as Hidden Line Removal to it etc.. A training video has long been on our list. Would you believe that one problem we have encountered is that we keep adding new features and changing others and this is hurting us in respect to doing a training video. I believe that asked about the interest in such a video in our cat 16, top 3 and received encouraging response from those that posted but I cannot say that a proper training video is imminent. It will happen though. S.WINICK> I arrived a little late, so I hope this hasn't been asked... Does version 2.0 allow importing or translation of *.DWG* files so DynaCADD users won't have to go back and convert all their files to *.DEF's before returning the old cartridge dongles? Dave/Nate-ISD> Sheldon, you are correct. Those with version 1.84 must first export the files that they may wish to bring into 2.0 before sending back their dongle. This will be explained in BOLD and in DEPTH when we send version 2.0 along with the new key. S.WINICK> That might create a lot of undue hardship on your DynaCADD users who probably have a considerable library of drawings which they may or may not need to reference at some future date. Perhaps you might come up with a conversion software program which could make that conversion on an as needed basis since they won't be able to merely load up 1.84 to do that easily once they return the old cartridge. Dave/Nate-ISD> Sheldon, I agree and will address this issue internally tomorrow. S.WINICK> I'm looking forward to your visit with us in a couple of weeks for the Blue Ridge AtariFest here in Asheville. I understand you've already shipped me the 2.0 TT030 update for our CADD system here at Computer STudio which we'll look forward to demoing along with your demo of Calamus SL at the show. Thanks for all your great support of the Atari platform and Atari users over the years. Dave/Nate-ISD> Between you and JD, all we've missed is John King T. And yes, ISD will be at Glendale too. JOE.WATERS> Am I correct in assuming that DynaCADD will work in color on the ISAC Board? Also could you please enumerate with respect to "other platforms"? Dave/Nate-ISD> JD, I have the latest, not yet released board from Jay in-house even as we speak. This is his new board. We always worked with the original one and we anticipate no problem working with his newest which does both 800 x 600 as well as 1024 x 768. I believe OE.WATERS> In color, though? Dave/Nate-ISD> Of course in color, sorry. I hadn't realized you didn't know this. As far as other platforms, we have both an IBM version (in GEM) and an Amiga version now. We are currently working on a Windows 3.0 version. JOE.WATERS> Thanks. Nathan, I'm glad that you will be taking abreak from DynaCADD and Calamus when you speak at the WAACE banquet. All of us look forward to hearinmg about you experiences over the years. M.WEILERT2> Two questions really, I hope I'm not repeating another questioner. 1) Is there a feature/add-on comparable to AutoShade? 2) Ditto for compatibility with AutoLisp? Thanks! Dave/Nate-ISD> Ohmygod, he let the cat out of the bag. I look forward to it JD, Thank you. Matt, the answer to both questions is no. We are seriously looking at Renderman or a comparable solution. The language issue after much procrastination and back and forth, will be released in the next issue. M.WEILERT2> We do alot of dynamic fluid modeling and end up using AutoLAME on a wannabe 386 which one of our summer interns has commondered. I've been looking for a way to get Atari into Battelle for over a year now. Those two features would make significant inroads. Nice to meet the ISD gang in the flesh at Richmond, keep up the tremendous support. I lust after my copy of SL. We've got a new local interest magazine on the boards for it. Dave/Nate-ISD> The issues are being addressed Matt. I don't disagree. It just becomes a question of priorities, what to do first. Thanks Matt, the pleasure was mine. I lust after my better half at home but if SL does it for you, Heheheh sorry. M.GROSS10> I know the TT version is shipping, is the ST version shipping now too? Dave/Nate-ISD> Yes, Dave or Michelle. The upgrade that we send will include both the ST and the TT version of 2.0. You are one of those lucky few with both I believe. Enjoy. Sysop-JEFF.W> It looks like we're just about ready to wrap it up. Any closing comments, gentlemen? Dave/Nate-ISD> I wish to thank all of you that attended. It is quite gratifying to see this much interest still alive and well. Being the Atari person that I am, I love showing off products such as DynaCADD and Calamus to those non-believers out there. Just a few hundred million to go and I'll have them all converted. Thanks again and now if Jeff switches to frenzy mode I'm going to collapse over the keyboard. Thanks Jeff. Great Leader as always. Sysop-JEFF.W> Thanks to both of you, Nathan and David. And thanks to all who participated. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (C) 1991 by Atari Corporation, GEnie, and the Atari Roundtables. May be reprinted only with this notice intact. The Atari Roundtables on GEnie are *official* information services of Atari Corporation. To sign up for GEnie service, call (with modem) 800-638-8369. Upon connection type HHH (RETURN after that). Wait for the U#= prompt. Type XJM11877, GEnie and hit RETURN. The system will prompt you for your information. ======================================================================= Z-Net Canada by Terry Schreiber ======================================================================= "Heaven forbid, Canada out of product" - yes even though sales are traditionally slow at this time of year the issue is also pushed to an extreme if you have the sale and can't get the product. There are Lynx, Portfolio, Stacy, and 520stfm's but no fast movers. Geoff Earle - General Manager of Atari Canada is heading to sunny Sunnyville to try to get product flowing once again. --==========-- Turning a negative to a positive. A resession is a terrible thing to waste. Minitronics Computer Centre recently took delivery of a large supply of 520stfms. Who wants 512k you might say, but stop and think that soon it is back to school. A 520stfm with monochrome monitor for that student at $499.00 CDN ($425.00 U.S.) is within anyones reach and again the built in RF modulator can be used with a standard TV set for games. Not the best of packages but then most of us have become spoiled with our four megs of ram and 16mhz accelerators. You can even throw in a decent wordprocessor ST Writer from Dr. Bruce Noonan and oh yes, a printer, Roland 9101, Star NX-1000 or any of the base line printers will give you reasonable results for a student for about two hundred dollars. I did some recent checks into pricing on some electric typewriters and this package beats it hands down. Even if you were to include a First Word Plus and Phil Commeau's grammar checker you are still under the price of a dedicated wordprocessor. It is expandable, it is not a dedicated wordprocessor, and last but not least it makes and excellent "game machine." Sorry Sam! --==========-- Atari takes it to the streets in Canada. Atari Canada's Murray Brown is doing a five day tour of Alberta this month. Armed with a mini MIDI display and Desktop Publishing displays he will be attending dealers stores in the Alberta area July 23rd - 27th. This is the second of many planned goodwill tours - the first took place three months ago in the British Columbia interior. ======================================================================= CODEHEAD Releases New FreeWare Programs Press Release ======================================================================= CodeHead Software announces the release of several freeware programs, including: LOADKEYS.PRG -- A support program for CodeKeys, the Universal Macro Tool. LOADKEYS lets you set up HotWire menu entries to load sets of macros into CodeKeys, using HotWire's powerful command line abilities. This new version of LOADKEYS fixes a bug in the version shipped with some early copies of CodeKeys 1.3. HOT_EDIT.ARC -- The latest version of our HotWire menu editor. Now has command line support, letting you open any HotWire menu file by double-clicking it from MaxiFile III, or by using HotWire's "Start A Document" feature. Also fixes some minor bugs in the previously released version. HOTEDIT.PRG is a must for HotWire users! CLOCKSET.ARC -- The latest version of our clock-setting utility. Fixes a bug which would cause lockups if placed in the AUTO folder of a machine without a battery-backed clock. (This bug would only strike on power up.) SHOWMEM4.ARC -- The latest version of our memory display tool; now supports TT "fast" RAM. ShowMem gives you a comprehensive, easy to read display that shows you exactly how the memory in your ST or TT is being used. LEONARD6.ARC -- Just for fun. The CodeHead bomb handler; replaces the little bomb icons with a more appropriate image. This new version has a special feature designed to help remote BBS operators. (There was a bug in the version shipped with CodeHead Utilities 4 which would cause problems on a TT.) These programs are available now in the libraries of the GEnie, Compuserve, and Delphi information systems. To find them, just search for the keyword CODEHEAD. And remember, "CodeHead Software" _means_ "support!" For more information about our line of powerful productivity-enhancing software, contact: CodeHead Software P.O. Box 74090 Los Angeles, CA 90004 Tel: 213-386-5735 Fax: 213-386-5789 ====================================================================== CHERRY FONTS ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF FONT PACKS #7, #8 and #9. Press Release ======================================================================= Cherry Fonts announces the addition of three new 'Font Packs' to their six existing packages. Each new Font Pack offers a complimentary collection of stylish and contemporary Calamus fonts. Each font features true optical character spacing akin to the methods used by long-established type foundries. All foreign characters, monetary symbols and ligatures are included where applicable. Each font has been thoroughly tested at all print resolutions from that of a 9-pin printer up to the many thousands of dots per inch that are within the capabilities of Linotronic and other commercial imagesetters. Smooth, even weight-balance of printed matter is the result of Cherry Fonts' dedication to typographical excellence. Cherry Fonts are intended for use with Calamus Desktop Publishing, Outline Art, and any other applications that utilizes the Calamus font format. Font Pack #7 ************ This new group of 4 fonts features Cherry Benjamin Gothic in 4 styles. Benjamin Gothic is our version of the venerable Franklin Gothic. It is a sans serif text typeface that resembles Helvetica in many ways. The fours styles included are Book, Oblique, Demi and Demi Oblique. Uses for these typefaces extend from simple newsletter body copy to elaborate advertising headlines and practically any other graphic design function -- an extremely versatile typeface. Font Pack #8 ************ Font Pack number 8 is the first Cherry Fonts release of ornamental typefaces. Included in this bundle is Glissade Openface which is Cherry Fonts' version of Caslon Openface. For those not familiar with this design, it is a roman serifed typeface with inlined (hollowed) strokes and a low x-height. Its personality is one of sophisticated elegance. Also included in Font Pack #8 is Pirates Initial Caps, a set of 26 intricate old english shadowed drop-caps that must be seen to be appreciated. Pirates is provided as a Calamus font file as well as 26 individual .CVG (vector graphic) files. Font Pack #9 ************ Font Pack #9 is another collection of serious advertising typefaces. No typeface is as popular with ad agencies as Paul Renner's Futura. Cherry's new Fura family pays tribute to this classic design. Pack #9 contains the following four styles of Fura: Book, Italic, Bold and Bold Italic. Fura can also be used in forms. If you need a serious authoritative look in a sans-serif design, you should probably be using Fura. Pricing ******* All eight Cherry Font Packs have a North American suggested retail price of $42.95 (US) each ($49.95 in Canada). To Order ******** Cherry Font Packs are available at Atari dealers everywhere or directly from Cherry Fonts. To order direct: Send US $42.95 (or $49.95 CDN) for each Font Pack plus $2.00 shipping. B.C. residents please add 6% provincial sales tax. Payment is accepted by Cheque, Money Order, Visa or MasterCard. Cherry Fonts Suite #4, 2250 Tyner St. Port Coquitlam, B.C. Canada V3C 2Z1 Ph. (604)944-2923 ======================================================================= THE SOFTWARE SHELF by RON BERNSTEIN ======================================================================= It doesn't take a major survey to find that many folks on the street when questioned about Atari Computers feel that Atari is only for games. The fact is that they ARE great for games, but, they are grrr-reat for other applications as well. DTP is A_OK on Atari, music applications too. It is particularly nice to see some fine shareware business applications. So, let's start with a list of some of the more recently released "serious" software available for a serious people for a seriously low shareware price. BIGBX141.LZH contains Big Bux v1.41... bug fixed! It seems that the Mortgage AMORT Table wouldn't work from the menu... it does now... also.. a way to back out of the Stock options analysis has been added! So, for all of us big business people, and especially for those of us that are not, but, need the answers that the big folks pay someone else for, download Big Bux and get them. You simply define your question, input the data the program asks for, and get your answer. In the case of the required minimum investment needed for a particular return, no problem, Big Bux will tell you. of course that is just one of the many questions you can ask. Just in this release version alone four new features were added. 1) Growth Rate - added because of feedback to the programmer. 2) Mortgage Schedule Calculations - based on a monthly payment scheme, this option will give you quick-and-dirty information about your mortgage or potential mortgage history. 3) True Interest Rate - used with installment loans, this option should be any businessman's best friend. 4) Stock Market Options Planner - evaluate stocks and let Big Bux help you decide when to buy and when to sell! So, have we smart Atarians out smarted ourselves? Obviously because of it's power and potential we have been smart enough to buy Atari, but, have we been smart enough to use it? Have we been convinced that we shouldn't look at our own resources? There is a lot of program in this package, but, I believe there have been only three registrations to date. No, it isn't expensive, $15 will do it. Plus, the author will send you another one of his programs when you do! The motto here may just be: Get Smart! STOCK_21.ARC is the new STock->Smart, a charting program that makes use of GEM windows to chart stock prices and averages. Up to 4 stocks may be displayed at the same time. The charts may be sized to any size. The included communications program will auto-update your favorite stock's daily price each day, and add the daily price to a historic quote file. This update is provided for you free on GEnie! And so that you can manage your funds after depositing them.. CHECKBK2.LZH This version adds the ability to check off transactions as they clear on your bank statement. It also includes many minor bug fixes and some speed enhancements as well as improvements in the user interface to make it even easier to use. It automatically sorts all of your transactions by date. It will output to a printer. And for the seriously oriented, calculator type person.. COLACALC.LZH is Version 1.1 of ColaCalc. This one occupies all of 8K in memory, supports decimal, hex, octal, and binary, bit operations, memory peeks, and can be called instantly inside of ANY program. It works in any resolution, and even on the TT. Best of all, you can reassign the function keypresses to be anything you want. Well, I'm not sure that that last feature works though.... You see I wanted to set a function key up so that my best girlfriend would come right over whenever I keyed it. It didn't work! Bad calculation I guess... :) Want to practice using a calculator keyboard? MRKEYPAD.ARC is Mr. Keypad, a personal aid in practicing the numeric keypad. A scrolling list of numbers in the middle of the screen during execution, and a screen-full list of percentages, statistics, ratings, and even advise from Mr. Keypad himself - what he tells you totally depends on your progress! For the everyday business person with people to see and places to go: CAL52.LZH is the most recent version of this calendar program. This new version has twice the room for storing events. Several recent events of course are regularly released new CAL versions! It is true that this program will keep you informed of the dates that you need to know about. Besides telling you about your business appointments some of the notes stored may save your social life, or, at least help to save a great evening! Also, the author has planned ahead and anticipated your desire to know many interesting pieces of trivia. These have been included as well. ADDRSSME.LZH is written in GFA BASIC 3.0 You can auto sort by the last name and search by - last name, first name, address, or city. The number of records depends on the available memory. Unlimited number of files. It will do mailing labels, and help with BULK mailings as well. And so who out there new that they could use their ST as a time clock for their employees? ACC_TIME.LZH contains ACC-TIME, a full featured time-clock program that can be run either as an accessory, or, as a stand alone program. It might save you several hundred dollars for a time-clock to use in your business. If you run the prg. as an acc., you can instantly access the time-clock from any program with a menu bar, so employees can punch in/out easily. Up to 64 employees are okay. GRAM320.ARC is the program that all of us need when we start to seriously question our abilities as writers. It will review your written work for grammar errors and generally improve your output due to it's suggestions. GramSlam can check documents produced by most major word-processing and desktop-publishing programs. GramSlam checks for over 1200 common grammar and writing style problems. It reports problems in easy-to-understand terms, and offers a suggested correction. My personal opinion is that sometimes this program is very useful. And now that you've got a tool to make your writing make good sense, why not make cents with your writing? Make a book! MBOOK_23.ARC is the latest Make*A*Book. This program used to be, "BookMaker," but, was changed to the new name for legal reasons. It will take ASCII files and print them in "Book" format - 4 pages to a sheet of paper, 2 on each side via PostScript. Version 2.30 / Vincent Version fixes a sporadic pagination problem, erases covers properly AND adds Reverse Collating for laser printers. Version 2.30V also adds a new "Show Largest" feature. For the small or large business that does their own regular mailings, and need a computer to help... STWEL42.LZH Yet another update to St Writer Elite. This version has a help window that pops up while editing a file. STWGS42.ARC is the Spanish and German version respectively of ST Writer Elite. Fully configurable to choice of black or white background, default file specifier, tab size, and format line. Help key from Edit screen has dialog box with formatting commands. Misspellings have been corrected on the Spanish Menus. And now for the rest of the story! More recommended downloads. ALBERTT.PRG is the new improved ISAC driver. Also the release version of the new vme based AlberTT. This version supports the 640x480 mode. Simply rename the program 640x480.prg (when the file is 1st in the AUTO folder). By the way the 640x480 mode requires the count Gals and OSC to be changed. This is the same as in 800x600.PRG mode. Check your manual for more info! STACHART.LZH is the newest source to Star Chart, a charting program of bright stars and planets. Includes the Yale Bright Star catalog. And, talking about stars, I wonder if this program includes a description of Madonna, certainly SHE is a bright star! FSORT_13.LZH is the author's best effort yet. He swears that he "GOT 'EM ALL NOW!" He reports that it is better and faster.. and tested on 75 files! So, "bugless!," he says, well, we'll be the judge of that, won't we... UNCLE35B.ARC This is the NON-DEMO version of UncleLib, the program which allows you to Show, Print, Create, Append, Merge or Edit ANY ASCII file. Stamp, Rename (with custom characters), Delete or Copy ANY file, Create\Delete folders, SEARCH library OR DISKS (wildcards fully supported !) for files as well. It includes a floppy formatter and Label Maker, Clock, Colour Palette, Backup files function, etc. Hmmm... I say, perhaps it could do my wash as well? :) 9HSEEK.ARC gives us Heidi Seek v. .9/1.0 Same will search for a file using wildcards. It will search your entire drive, and it will work either as an .ACC or a stand alone program. GVIEW105.LZH Gemview 1.05 now replaces the earlier viewer program editions... STE_SHIP.LZH is an example of GFA BASIC 3.5 executed on an STe. The screen moves up and down with the mouse. Interesting space ship sound, and a ship drawn in Deluxe Paint ST that has taken advantage of an enhanced pallete. An STe is required! Low rez. only.. Pressing the space bar quits the program. FANTFIX.LZH is Fantasia Fixer. This program just peeks at your system's ROMS to find the current version number, and then it plugs the number into the appropriate spots in Fantasia, so that Fantasia will run even if you don't have TOS 1.6 which is what it looks for. So, if your using a Mega STE and Fantasia currently says, "no go," this will fix it! STZIP08.LZH provides the answer many were looking for with regard to a very successful method for compressing files. LZH11319 and others have needless to say been very popular as fast compressors. Until now though, we ST folks have only been able to extract .ZIP files, a very popular and fast method, found often in the IBM arena. STUNZIP has been a singular force. Now extract or create them as you desire! This is a beta version, and the documentation is mostly in German. Good Luck! AR.LZH is a program that supports LHARC 2.1 (now known as LHA 2.1 on the PC) format compression and decompression. It is about the same speed as LHARC 1.13b, but compresses better than almost any other commonly used program. ELFHELP.PRG should be downloaded if you use ELFBOOT. It fixes a problem with the 'Run Program' option. The trouble was caused by a bug in the ELFHELP utility that builds the files for STARTGEM. So, you've just started to use Calamus? EXT_CHAR.ARC is a "how to" file for the novice Calamus user. It describes how to insert extended characters into you document. Calamus is required to view this document. TXTRULER.ARC is a short Calamus document explaining the basics of how to use text rulers in Calamus. As an avid Calamus user, I suppose I should read this. I have always dreaded seeing text rulers appear whenever I hit the wrong selection by mistake. Perhaps they really are useful.. :) Of interest to DeskJet fans: NEWLETTR.ARC provides an editor to be with a Newsletter example / template. This is a DeskJet file. DJLOOKIT.LZH will provide the "LookIt" and "HotWire" user with a way to get the most out of a DeskJet 500. It provides a highly versatile, yet practical ability to print in several different font styles either directly within Lookit w/the CFG files, or by using HotWire's command line options in the included LOOKITRW.HOT. Now's your chance to be a Beta Tester! BENCH2.LZH contains NBM, a benchmarker which will time your machine as it travels through five different tests. In this version the tests have been changed as a result of the ongoing research in this area. So, if you want to be a beta tester, now is the time to make your mark upon the software industry. But, first, before you send your comments to the program's author, read the DOCS, and examine what it is he is looking for.. The five tests take about three minutes to complete. FORMDOIT.ARC is the most recent version of FormDoIt. Just uploaded recently was 1.2a. It alters the way that dialog boxes and alerts behave in most programs. It lets you use the keyboard to select buttons in dialogs and alerts, re-define the icons used in alert boxes and much, much more! This is version 1.2b. It fixes a bug in exit button selection, and avoids a bug having to do with UIS 3.3. BOXES.LZH Written in GFA BASIC 3.0 This program generates the code for on screen buttons. The user has full control of the text in the buttons - shrink, stretch, height, bold, light etc. The button "templates" can be saved so that they can be worked on later. 36 fill patterns can also be combined with the text in the buttons. More of interest to programmers might include: GFA_UTIL.ARC contains: 1) windtext.lst -- send this procedure an array of strings and sizing information and a four-way scrolling window will appear on top of any screen. 2) sel_file.lst -- an alternative file selector that lets the user pick a group of files and when exiting the selector. DEVPAC1.ARC has Devpac 1, previously released on British magazine disk and it may inspire you to get Devpac 2. And now for the serious game player: DEMOLIT.ARC contains Demolition Man, a puzzle game with graphics by Clayton Walnum (of ST-Log and DELPHI fame). LAMA1M.LZH is 236544 bytes of "Game Power!" This is a working copy of "Tron1meg," posted on Compuserve, and it has been tested! It is stored on a RAMDISK. Apparently there have been reports that the file on Genie is corrupt, and bombs appear at level 7. BGAMMON.LZH is a new Backgammon game for the ST. Runs in Low, and is a faithful reproduction of the old favorite. And last and probably "least." <smile> STRIP_BO.ARC is my kind of game. Why should one just be allowed to give up some of their loose change. I think that they should really feel the shame of de"feet." Also the legs, thighs, tummy, back, and arms should all be the reward for some willing victor! So, Strip Breakout provides what others don't. <smile> To help you get a clear Resolution for the problem... LOWSWCTH.ARC provides "Low Res. Only Game Help" for the ST. Several PD games have special requirements, some require med. rez. and some require low rez. only. This shell will handle the rez. switching so that you don't have to go through the desktop every time you need to run a low rez. game. The shell allows you to execute a low. rez. only program from within med. rez.. STEREZ.LZH will fix a bug that prevents STe's from booting in med.rez. This file contains MEDREZ.PRG, a small auto folder prg. for STE's with TOS 1.6. TT2STHI.ARC will switch the TT into ST-HI while booting the computer. Some bootselector programs will only work in ST-HI... And, how do these sound to you? S7ADMAPL.LZH will play a digitized sound file of your choice when run in your AUTO folder sequence. Plays ONLY SIGNED sound files. Monophonic or Stereo. Docs included. S7SSHF15.LZH is the new STereo Shuffler. It may be used to create a STEREO sound file from two separate (right and left) digitized sound files. Written in GFA BASIC 3.5 and compiled. It also plays STEREO sound files in signed format. Includes a sample stereo file of a Yamaha QY-10 synthesizer playing. AUTODMA.LZH plays back STE/TT format sound samples during your boot up sequence. If you have old ST-Replay type samples, use Steve Whitney's Resampler to resample them and convert them over to STE DMA format. Required of course is an STE or TT. MMM19.LZH This is an update to Midi Music Maker. It adds the ability to play Cakewalk and Adlib songs (from the PC world.) It plays a total of 13 different music formats from various computers. Requires 1 meg of memory and a synthesizer. Several other minor improvements were made including proper playing of some types of enhanced SIDs. ACIDBAT.LZH is a variation of the BatMan theme song. Requires a Soundtracker/NoiseTracker program or a MOD player. And who has the last laugh? Download this, and you might be the one! ROB_HOOD.ARC is an .IMG of the "Rogue of Sherwood" as played by another actor in another time. From a MacNelly cartoon of several years ago - intended for historical and educational purposes only, political inferences obtained from viewing this file, are not the responsibility of anyone accept the viewer. 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET INTERNATIONAL ATARI ONLINE MAGAZINE - CREDITS +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Publisher: Ron Kovacs | Editors: Ron Kovacs and John Nagy | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Z*Net Canada: Terry Schreiber | Z*Net New Zealand: Jon Clarke | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Z*Net Germany: Mike Schuetz | Newswire Asst Editor: Mike Mezaros | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Research Asst: Kathy Johnston | Shareware Reviews: Ron Berinstein | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Staff Columnist: Drew Kerr | Reporter/Features: Mike Brown | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Staff Columnist: Keith Macnutt | Reporter: Dr. Paul Keith | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | GEnie ID: Z-Net | CompuServe ID: 75300,1642 | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ | Z*Net USA BBS - (908) 968-8148 | Z*Net Canada BBS - (604) 272-5888 | | Registered FNET NODE 593 | Registered FNET NODE 505 | +--------------------------------+------------------------------------+ Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine is a weekly magazine covering the Atari and related computer community. Material contained in this edition may be reprinted without permission, except where otherwise noted, unedited, with the issue number, name and author included at the top of each reprinted article, to Registered Atari User Groups, and not for profit publications. Commentary and opinions presented are those of the individual author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Z*NET or the staff. Z*Magazine Atari 8-Bit Online Magazine, Z*Net Atari Online Magazine, Z*Net and Z*Net PC are copyright (c)1991 by Rovac Industries Inc, a registered New Jersey corporation. Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey 08846. (908) 968-2024. Z*Net USA BBS, 24 Hours, HST 14.4K, (908) 968-8148. We can be reached on CompuServe at 75300,1642 and on GEnie at Z-NET. ======================================================================= Copyright (c)1991, Rovac Industries, Inc.. =======================================================================