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| (((((((( | Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine | (( | ----------------------------------------- | (( | January 17, 1992 Issue #92-03 | (( | ----------------------------------------- | (((((((( | Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc. | | Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846 | (( | | (((((( | CONTENTS | (( | | | * The Contributing Editors Desk................John Nagy | ((( (( | * Z*NET NEWSWIRE.......................Atari News First! | (((( (( | * Perusing GEnie...............................Ed Krimin | (( (( (( | * LYNX Game Reviews from AtariUser...........Robert Jung | (( (((( | * Data Media Reference Guide.........Daniel K. Stoicheff | (( ((( | * Perusing the Internet...................Bruce Hansford | | * Software Shelf..........................Ron Berinstein | ((((((( | * Signup Information for the Major Telecom Services..... | (( | * Reprint Instructions and contact information for Z*NET | ((((( | | (( | | ((((((( | ~ Publisher/Editor............................Ron Kovacs | | ~ Contributing Editor..........................John Nagy | (((((((( | ~ Z*Net Newswire Ltd..........................Jon Clarke | (( | ~ Contributing Editor.....................Bruce Hansford | (( | ~ PD Software Reviews.....................Ron Berinstein | (( | ~ Reporter....................................Mike Brown | (( | ~ Assistant News Editor.......................Mike Davis | | ~ Z*Net Canadian Correspondent...........Terry Schreiber | | ~ Columnist....................................Ed Krimen | | ~ Columnist................................Mike Mortilla | | |----------| $ GEnie Address....................................Z-NET | ONLINE | $ CompuServe Address..........................75300,1642 | AREAS | $ Delphi Address....................................ZNET | | $ Internet/Usenet Address..................status.gen.nz |----------| $ America Online Address........................ZNET1991 | | | Z*NET | * Z*Net:USA New Jersey...(FNET 593).......(908) 968-8148 | SUPPORT | * Z*Net:Golden Gate......(FNET 706).......(510) 373-6792 | SYSTEMS | * Z*Net:South Pacific....(FNET 693).NZ....(644) 4762-852 | | * Z*Net:Pacific .(INTERNET/@status.gen.nz)(649) 3585-543 | | * Z*Net:South Jersey.....(FNET 168).CCBBS.(609) 451-7475 | | * Z*Net:Illinois (Garage)(FNET 621).......(618) 344-8466 | | * Z*Net:Colorado (Mile High)(FNET 5)......(303) 431-1404 | | * Z*Net:Wyoming (Stormbringer)(FNET 635)..(307) 638-7036 | | * Z*Net:Florida (Twilight Zone)(FNET 304).(407) 831-1613 | | Fido Address 1:363/112 ======================================================================= ======================================================================= * The Contributing Editor's Desk by John Nagy ======================================================================= As Ron Kovacs attends to personal matters this weekend, the duties of doing another Z*Net issue fall to me, and I gain fresh appreciation for the peculiar version of insanity that propels Ron as he does this AND TWO OTHER MAGAZINES each week. Well, ZMAG, for the 8-Bit Atari is not weekly anymore, so it's about 2.5 online magazines that Ron does each week. He's nuts, no doubt about it. All for the enjoyment of "just doing it". This brings me an opportunity to do something I've tried to get Ron to do for some time... make a SHAREWARE pitch for Z*Net, the cornerstone of many user's information and enjoyment network. Think about it... how many times have your read something in Z*NET that saved you money or got you in touch with a solution that you would have missed, or spotted JUST EXACTLY the product you wanted? For years, Z*Net has been here every week with totally ADVERTISING-FREE coverage of the Atari things we figured you'd want to know about. It's been good for a LOT of commercial operations too... bringing considerable income to the telecom services, who just as graciously allow us the free use of those services in exchange. And a legion of developers have gained wide and instant attention with press releases and announcements of new and upgraded products. And part of my feeling that Ron (and the community) should think of Z*Net for shareware contributions has come as a reaction tho the attitude of a few-a very few-software developers who have, on occasion, let it be know to us or to others that they felt that Z*Net "owed" them shareware payments for their significant contributions to the Atari community. I'll be honest, I've not paid a LOT of shareware fees in my time, but I look at the hundreds of dollars I spend each month supporting the Atari community without expectation of return or profit, as does Ron, and sending more of it away seems impossible. I jokingly told Ron that we should send copies of our Z*Net expense records to all Atari shareware developers with a note saying, "A Shareware donation has been made in your name to the Z*Net Atari International News Service as our Shareware Donation to you." Ron says that most of the people who need to understand the humor in this are pretty humorless people. Oh well. Anyway, for the rest of you readers, consider what Z*Net does and has done wan will do for you, your user group, and your Atari community, and consider sending a $10 Shareware donation to Ron Kovacs to help pay for that which we all enjoy - Z*NET. Send it to Ron Kovacs (NO checks made to Z*NET, please) at P.O. Box 59, Middlesex, NJ 08846. Thanks. John Nagy ++++++++NOTE! NEXT WEEK, Z*NET WILL RELEASE THE COMPLETE ATARI DEALER LISTINGS AS PRINTED IN ATARIUSER MAGAZINE (FEBRUARY), WITH CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS. BE READY TO PARTICIPATE IN REFINING THIS LIST! ======================================================================== * Z*NET NEWSWIRE..................ATARI NEWS FIRST!..................... ======================================================================== GLENDALE SHOW RESCHEDULED TO ONE WEEK EARLIER The 1992 Southern California Atari Faire, known as the GLENDALE SHOW, has been rescheduled to a date one week earlier than previously announced. This year's Glendale Show will be held on September 12 & 13, 1992. John King Tarpinian, president of The Hooked on ATARI Computer Knowledge Society (HACKS) and coordinator of the show says that the change was done as a courtesy to vendors who will wish to attend both the Glendale event and the WAACE show. Washington DC area WAACE recently announced their next show as being scheduled for October 10-11, 1992. Although the Glendale dates were announced at the close of last year's show, WAACE has scheduled their event for the Columbus Day Weekend. As a result, the two major shows would have been only three weeks apart, despite the repeated requests of Atari's Bob Brodie that all events be planned for a minimum of 30 days separation. Tarpinian found that a recent cancellation in the Glendale Civic Auditorium calendar allowed him to move his show up one week and provide additional time between shows. For more information about the Glendale Show, contact John King Tarpinian at (818) 246-7286. Vendor information kits will be mailed starting in March. DELPHI OWNERS BUY BIX SERVICE General Videotex Corporation of Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced on February 1 that it has purchased BIX, the online service developed by BYTE magazine. Already the owners of DELPHI, a consumer oriented online service, GVC now adds BIX as a popular outlet for hardware and software engineers, system designers, independent consultants, technology buffs and computer industry celebrities. The relationship between BIX and BYTE magazine will continue, with staff presence and the full text of BYTE magazine, etc., online. No "merger" of services is being proposed at this point, but rather the experience of GVC is being seen as a healthy addition to the operation of BIX, while BIX adds to the overall market position of GVC. A transition of ownership will keep continuity of service for BYTE's BIX subscribers. GVC's purchase includes the computer system and software used to operate BIX. The command structure and menu design will remain unchanged. All present products, such as binary mail attachments and the MicroBytes daily newswire, will be available. BIX subscription and customer-service are now being handled by GVC, 1030 Massachusetts Ave., 4th Floor, Cambridge, MA 02138, (617) 491-3342 or (800) 695-4005. Join BIX by using a modem to call 1-800-225-4129 (617-861-9767 from within Massachusetts). Once connected, press return. When asked to log in, type "BIX" and then enter "NEW" when asked for a name. ======================================================================== * PERUSING GENIE by Ed Krimin ======================================================================== -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14) -=> from the "Font Scaling Module -- The New GDOS" topic (18) Message 59 Sat Feb 01, 1992 B.REHBOCK [Bill@Atari] at 16:40 EST The packaging is finally all done, the last revison of the disks is going to the duplicator Monday, February 3rd. Product should be showing up on shelves shortly. (Finally! :-) IMHO, one of the biggest drawbacks of the original GDOS was the lack of printer drivers that shipped with it, and the lack of developer understanding of the concept in general. "Back in those days", developers weren't used to the idea of a generalized Operating System service to handle all output functions. Developers were used to writing custom drivers for everything, and they thought they could roll their own driver better. (In some cases, they did.) We didn't go with .CVG fonts, because they are inherently _un_hinted, and we wanted as close to the same quality as hand-tuned bitmaps as we could get. We didn't go with Adobe Type-1's, because it takes about 18 times longer to decode, calculate and display Type-1 fonts than QMS/Imagen FSM-9 fonts. There will be conversion utilities available to go from Type-1's to FSM-9 (from third parties). -Bill @ Atari P.S. Please don't mind the crayon-drawn packaging :-) ---------- Message 60 Sat Feb 01, 1992 M.EVERHART2 [MIDIMIKE] at 20:41 EST Since it's in duplication, tell us what's in the FSMGDOS package - what fonts, printer drivers, etc. ---------- Message 66 Tue Feb 04, 1992 B.REHBOCK [Bill@Atari] at 02:17 EST I'll put together a listing of the printer drivers, etc. that are included with FSM GDOS. Off the top of my head... FSMGDOS.PRG....... The O/S extension itself, scales fonts from 4 to 1000 points, gives the VDI GEM/3 Bezier drawing capability and enhanced polyline/polygon functions, caches old GDOS bitmap fonts and uses separate cache for FSM Font information and bitmaps. FONTGDOS.PRG...... Alternate non-scaling version that uses only GDOS bitmap fonts and not FSM scaleable ones. Doesn't slow the VDI down by 30% like the old GDOS did. (Neither does FSMGDOS :-) Extends the drawing capabilities of the VDI also. Caches bitmap fonts for more efficient use of memory. Designed for the user that is squeezed for memory. FSMGDOS.CPX/ACC... Allows user to configure FSM Caches, current library of fonts to use, special options are provide for maximum compatibility with old, poorly written programs. FONTGDOS.CPX/ACC.. Primarily a "Printer-Picker"; never edit an ASSIGN.SYS file again! Allows Draft/Final quality control of printer driver, installation and configuration of GDOS bitmap fonts and extended drivers for Metafiles, Plotters, Screen Drivers, etc. Also sets up Driver/Bitmap Font path configuration. FSMPRINT.CPX/ACC.. Allows user to customize printer drivers to set page size, default quality, and in the future paper tray selection, etc. Printer Drivers include... SLM, FX80/LX (standard & wide), NX1000, JX80 (color), Oki Color, LaserJet, DeskJet, Canon Bubble Jet, NEC P6/P7, Epson Compatible 24 pin (B/W & Color), and the new Epson LQ570. (I am sure that this list is not complete.) But that's not all... you also get a very user-friendly Install program that sets everything up for you. One happy and important note... Atari is making the FSM Printer Driver Builder Kit available to qualified developers AT NO COST under the following stipulations: 1) The driver must be approved by Atari before it is released by the developer. 2) The developer must not attempt to add functionality to the driver without first consulting Atari. (To ensure maximum upward compatibility.) 3) The developer must give Atari non-exclusive rights to the source code of the driver. (To ensure that the driver library is available to all users, and can be updated quickly should the need arise.) """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14) -=> from the "Atari Advertising and Marketing" topic (3) Message 284 Sat Feb 01, 1992 J.ZORZIN [Joe] at 02:19 EST While reading this months Discover magazine I was shocked to see a 2 page Atari spread. The first page shows a souped up ST midi machine and the second page reveals the Atari Portfolio PC. It was a shock since I haven't seen Atari advertising in years. I hope to see more! """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -=> In the "Atari TT" category (28) -=> from the "Monitors for the TT" topic (11) Message 166 Sat Feb 01, 1992 M.ABDULKAREE [ASX] at 23:27 EST Okay I finallly have my TT with the NEC 5FG monitor..man this is a SHARP screen and very good on the eyes too! Okay Mr. Allen where is that TT mono to VGA box you were talking about <smile> I want one! By the way, if anyone else has one of the NEC FG monitors can you tell me how to get the TT's display area to center? Not the monitor's display area which can be easily done via push buttons but the display that the Atari puts out.. thanks. Have a TT and enjoying it! ---------- Message 167 Sun Feb 02, 1992 M.ANGIER [Mike Angier] at 00:33 EST ASX, I had the same centering problem with my 4DS...it seems that Atari couldn't resist doing something off-standard. The Atari TT color monitor has an Atari <=> PC switch on the back and shows the same centering problem as in the NEC's in PC mode. I just added a Crazy Dots VME board and it is nice (although compatability is mostly in monochrome only). I am typing in STalker while running my NEC at 1280x960 (80Hz interlaced...not too bad). It uses the entire monitor screen...edge to edge, top to bottom. Later, Mike """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -=> In the "Gribnif Software" category (17) -=> from the "Crazy Dots Graphics Board" topic (12) Message 14 Wed Jan 29, 1992 GRIBNIF [Dan] at 09:25 EST ASX, There is a very good (better than Matrix's, I'm told) driver which is included. It also handles Line A graphics in monochrome. I am not certain what the storage method is, I would have to check on that. Technically, though, if you are using the VDI to produce graphics, the storage method is not something you should care about anyway. The card has onboard fast RAM. From what I have seen so far, this makes it fly. In 256 color mode on a TT the blits are very fast. The card includes a DA which lets you change the number of bitplanes "on the fly" in color resolutions. It can do this because of the hardware panning: if the image cannot be displayed at the same horizontal and vertical resolution using the attached monitor once the # of colors has changed, you simply get an enlarged virtual screen that can be panned with the mouse. Some programs may rely on the number of colors not changing, however, and may require that they be re-run. The driver itself is an AUTO folder program. By pressing a key while it loads, you can set the display parameters. There is also a very comprehensive configuration program with which you can create drivers for new monitors at any time. You have complete control over h/v scan rates, resolution, iterlacing, etc. WWD, Any MultiSync monitor should work, due to the configuration program, though what resolutions you can obtain without flicker may vary from brand to brand. The one we have in the office is plugged into a TT and just uses the normal TT VGA-compatible monitor. Fiction Man, Right now, programs like Calamus SL, Retouche, DynaCAD and Pagestream all have the capability of using more than the "old" 16 color ST graphics. Most programs written nowadays do not make any assumptions about screen size, and more and more are being written to take advantage of extra colors. The wonderful thing about programming for Crazy Dots is that there is nothing special to do. It's just like programming for the ISAAC or the Matrix: All you have to do is use the VDI correctly. Gerry, Yes, you can use an SC1224 with Crazy Dots. In fact, you can get the equivalent of the "overscan" extended resolutions using it. Dan ---------- Message 15 Wed Jan 29, 1992 WWD at 20:34 EST Dan: I got my crazy dots yesterday and, as you know, I spent a couple of hours today finding out my new SVGA monitor is DOA. Nevertheless, I borrowed a VGA monitor and I'm off and running, but so far only in mono. I noticed my distribution disk does not have the default color palettes on it. Could that be my problem with color? If so I'd appreciate it if you'd email them to me. To everyone else: This is a neat product. Quick STE still works with it(at least in mono), and the ability to change screen resolutions instantly is amazing(no reboot, just an instant change). It works with G+plus and virtually everything else(again, at least in mono). The software is also very nicely written to allow you to change your configuration on bootup or to revert back to your old monitor if you wish. I think the price is high, but if you need it, this is the one to get. ---------- Message 31 Tue Feb 04, 1992 WWD at 21:11 EST I've been running CrazyDots on a Mega STE using a Viewsonic 6 monitor. This is a .28 dot pitch SVGA monitor which acts like a NEC4D but can be had from Computer Shopper for about $369. I'm running almost exclusively in mono, and have noticed virtually *no* compatibility problems. Screen updating, especially with QuickSTE, is very fast. Although the card and the monitor will do a rock solid 1024x768, I've settled on 800x600 as being the best compromise for GDOS bitmap font applications like Wordup 3.0. Refresh rate at 800x600 is 74 Hz! One piece of advice to Mega STE owners, however, is to set up your Newdesk configuration using your SM124 and save it to disk then. If you save your newdesk configuration from the CD screen you will get bombs on bootup. ---------- Message 28 Mon Feb 03, 1992 J.ALLEN27 [FAST TECH] at 00:21 EST Pagestream 2.1 works at 256 colors...EXCEPT...the color palette selector, which only knows about 16 colors. Want a laugh, check out what happens ;-) ---------- Message 29 Mon Feb 03, 1992 GRIBNIF [Dan] at 13:53 EST Mike Angier, Hmmm...I'll look into the incompatibility problems you mention. As far as I know, though, Pagestream works just fine except for the pallette selection box in 256 color mode. Thanks for all the stats! Mike Hill, Any program which uses the VDI correctly will run with CrazyDots because it has custom VDI screen drivers for the extended resolutions. NeoDesk works in any mono resolution due to the Line A emulator provided as part of the Crazy Dots driver. Yes, in older versions of the operating system (< 2.06 and < 3.06) the default VDI screen driver uses Line A graphics calls. Dan """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" -=> In the "Hardware" category (4) -=> from the "Gadgets 68030 SST Board" topic (44) Message 44 Mon Feb 03, 1992 DAVESMALL at 21:25 EST *chuckle* As usual, George beat me to it. Well, if anyone deserves to announce it, it's George; he designed it and brought it through some difficult times (chronicled in that 450 line post that's on ST-Report; it was accidentally deleted from the Gadgets RT). Sandy and I, some little Gadgeteers, and some who are anonymous are VERY HAPPY to announce: IT'S SHIPPING!!! SST shipped today in quantity in bare-board, Option A, B, C, and C&D configurations. Since some of them went via warp-drive shipping I expect you'll be hearing owner comments RSN. In the days ahead we will be shipping more (we have this backlog, see), and getting ready for software rev 2.0, which will add some interesting capabilities to the SST. Now that the platform is there, I can have some fun. (*chuckle*) The SST's manual is the hardest I have ever worked at a manual, and I hope you enjoy it both for the facts and for the interludes, which also were the hardest ones ... I had to do a Current Notes article after writing many Interludes and I found myself nearly empty. Sandy did the manual edit and layout in Quark X*Press on her IIfx; near the end, it became apparent we were straining even the 40 Mhz FX on the complex stuff (diagrams and so forth). If you see a box with an SR-71A Blackbird on the cover at the dealer, that's the SST. Oh, yes. Overseas shipments also started today. I felt that the best way to answer any questions on if the SST would ever ship that came up last week was to leave this message; at the time, we were fixing a problem at the printer (toner not sticking to the back side of a page ... now that's odd), checking out the release disks, disk labels, and all that last-minute stuff. This is the third product from Gadgets by Small; MegaTalk will ship pretty shortly, as soon as I fix a software snag I ran into (better now than after shipping!) and finish the PAL replacements (10 minutes), and that'll be # 4. If you've read a spec sheet on the SST anytime, you know about it; we haven't changed our specs (no need to). If I might borrow a phrase from Sculley, it's "wicked fast". To my knowledge it makes your Atari ST into among the fastest ST's in the world (depending on how much Mhz and how few Ns RAM you put in, and where wait-states stabilize.) Since there are other SST's out there, I can't say you will have THE fastest ST in the world, but you can sure try. I suppose it's time to mention that a design change to the SST logic sped up the SST. Figures on its performance are now out of date in the most pleasing way. Anyway, it's out. The champagne is upstairs and it's time for some; this has been as hard a haul as getting the GCR to format a disk, which was a killer. I expect that Darlah is going to be a bit irritated at all the skid marks on the floor of the RT as people fire up their SST's ... sorry 'bout that. And keep it throttled back in the middle of conferences, okay? *grin* -- thanks, Sandy & Dave (in order of importance!) Gadgets by Small, Inc. p.s. Sherwin Gooch, a person I met on the PLATO network, and who later came within a whisker of getting the 1450 out the door at Atari, told me once that the hype doesn't matter; the pre-release talk doesn't matter; the spec sheets don't matter; the demos don't matter. What matters is *getting it out the door*. This made a big impression on me and still does. Turns out Dorothy Brumleve knows Sherwin quite well (college town) ... in fact, it was Sherwin who told me how to pronounce her name, "Brum-Levv-EE", not "Brum-LEEEVE, which saved me embarrassment when I met her. Well, Sherwin, we got the 68030 SST out the door. (Sure you can tell him, Dorothy!) -- David """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ===================================================================== * LYNX REVIEWS FROM ATARIUSER MAGAZINE BY ROBERT JUNG ===================================================================== Reprinted by permission of AtariUser from the January 1992 issue. For information or subscriptions to AtariUser, call 818-332-0372. NO further reprinting of this article is allowed without specific permission of AtariUser. ----------------------------- Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (Lynx) Who says Death doesn't bear grudges? In retaliation for his abuse in the latest movie, the Grim Reaper has kidnapped Bill and Ted's girlfriends. However, the ladies have scattered music from the band's song during their abduction, and now the guys must rescue them. In this action/adventure game, you travel through maze-like lands protected by creatures. You must collect enough notes to allow travel to other times, while finding objects and meeting historic figures in need of favors. For more fun, two players can work together with the ComLynx. The time-travelling potential of this game is thoroughly used. Many puzzles are solved by taking something from one era and using it in another. Also, time paradoxes must be avoided. If you find a note to yourself that you have written, you must later go and leave that note in an earlier period. The puzzles are challenging and rely on finding the right object for the right situation. Like the movie, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure emphasizes non-violent fun. The guys don't fight, but subdue enemies with musical instruments. Similarly, if caught by a creature, you are sent back to an earlier position no worse for wear. The only problem is that the game can become tedious in some places, as you use several tries to get by random monsters. A detailed password system saves your current game. Sights and sounds are serviceable, but not much more. Graphics are done in a cartoony style, with a moderate amount of animation. There is good use of color and detail, especially the subtle changes across different lands. The few game sounds are very basic, and while background music plays in each time period, you can shut it off. Regardless of your feelings towards the movies, this game is a fun package. It has enough action with lots of rock-solid puzzle solving, and the time travel puts a unique twist on things. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure earns its name. Atari Corp., $39.95. QIX (Lynx) Telegames, the first developer of third-party Lynx games, strikes again with QIX, an adaptation of an ancient arcade game from Taito. The player's goal is to draw and claim boxes on the playing field, restricting the movement of the Qix, a swirling helix of lines, while avoiding contact with various enemies. QIX was a simple game, and the Lynx version plays exactly the same. There are 256 levels, and a password feature allows you to skip earlier levels. Two players can compete by alternating turns. A few flaws diminish the Lynx version somewhat. It uses only one button to draw, which is awkward. The controls are overly sensitive, where a wayward diagonal can cause the marker to jam, leaving you vulnerable. Finally, the Qix is larger on the Lynx than in the arcade, making the game slightly harder. QIX on the Lynx offers no more and no less than the original. Whether younger players will like it is questionable, but longtime arcade devotees and fans of unusual games will probably enjoy this title. Telegames, Inc., $39.95. S.T.U.N. Runner (Lynx) Take the New York subway system, throw in a hovercraft going 900 MPH, and you have S.T.U.N. Runner, the latest Atari Games' arcade sensation adapted for the Lynx. You must drive a S.T.U.N. sled through a twisting maze of tunnels, trying to finish before time runs out. Complicating the matter are other cars trying to ram you, course obstacles, and bombing jets. There are over 20 levels, each with its own variety of twists, branches, jumps, and obstacles. Lynx S.T.U.N. Runner is both a thrilling game and another shining translation. The action is fast and furious, requiring you to negotiate the track, destroy opponents, and go for bonuses all at the same time. Time limits are tight, requiring careful driving to succeed. Furthermore, all the original features are retained, with the same tunnels, ramps, and layouts. Opposing vehicles are varied and tenacious, and challenge stages throughout offer opportunities for extra points. The steering controls are a little sensitive, but players will adapt to them in a short time. Turning improperly into a curve will slow you down significantly, making the Lynx version harder than the arcade. Still, neither of these flaws are enough to ruin the game. The Lynx graphics engine is completely exploited, with the original filled polygon display replaced with scaled sprites. The result is not as sharp, but the action is extremely fast, and truly convey the sense of supersonic speed. Distinctive-looking enemies and detailed scenery complete the visual effects. Sounds are also very good, with a constant barrage of blasts and screeches pulling you into the action. Even better, digitized voices and sounds have also been lifted directly from the arcade. This is a quality production throughout, with all the excitement and speed of the coin-op game. The Lynx is pushed to its limits, making this version of S.T.U.N. Runner an action-packed extravaganza and the best adaptation now available for any machine. S.T.U.N. Runner, Atari Corp., $34.95. VIKING CHILD (Lynx) The Norse god Loki, worried about some prediction of future greatness for Brian, has kidnapped his family and dared the boy to rescue them. As THE VIKING CHILD, Brian, you'll explore the side-scrolling landscape, hoping to survive long enough to save your family. This action-adventure game is adapted from the European computer title. VIKING CHILD is essentially a run-and-jump game with adventure touches. Brian loses health in fights and over time, while victory earns money and points. Passwords allow starting at later stages. Weak points: Brian travels at a modest rate, while monsters run all over the place. Fights are simply poking creatures with a dagger or throwing weapons. The gameplay is basic, with none of the complexity of other games. In its favor, VIKING CHILD is a very hard game. Game graphics are well done, with good use of earth-tone colors and detail. There are also elegant static screens and humorous touches. Game sounds are very few and basic. VIKING CHILD is a pleasant diversion, but lacks the refinements of greatness. Its appeal is in exploring the land and trying to survive, but it should not be mistaken for an epic adventure. Atari Corp., $34.95. ROBOTRON: 2084 (Lynx) Shadowsoft, a newcomer to the Lynx, takes video gamers back with an adaptation of an arcade oldie. In a plot similar to the Terminator movies, ROBOTRON: 2084 has you play a laser-firing mutant who must save the last humans from being exterminated by the mechanical Robotrons. It's fast and tough. The action is seen from overhead, and you must navigate around Robotrons and obstacles to save humans and stay alive, with five game difficulty settings. The sights and sounds of the arcade are duplicated exactly. The moody title tune and the death-knell effect are done in stereo. In the arcade, two joysticks were used, allowing you to move and fire independently. For the Lynx translation, Shadowsoft has provided three alternative control schemes, using different methods of aiming and firing. Each player can decide which works best. Though the odd controls are a minor nit, ROBOTRON retains all of the intensity of the classic title. If Shadowsoft's future works are as good, Lynx owners are in for a good time. Shadowsoft Inc., $34.95. HARD DRIVIN' (Lynx) HARD DRIVIN' is an adaptation of the arcade title: drive around a track, dodge traffic, and try to finish before time runs out. What's different, though, is that HARD DRIVIN' is a true simulator, complete with physics, momentum, and 3-D polygon graphics. Turn too hard and the car skids, and a jump at the wrong speed will result in a fiery collision. Choose a flat speed track or a stunt track complete with drawbridge jump and other hazards. It's not as fast as the Atari ST computer version, but the Lynx handles the many mathematics rapidly enough to keep HARD DRIVIN' at an acceptable rate. But the "feel" of your car is wrong; it's very hard to tell where your edges are, which makes collisions hard to avoid, but a more severe problem is in the controls. Steering, braking, and accelerating are incredibly oversensitive. Anything more than a tap sends you into a sharp turn, and your speed rises and falls too rapidly. Option buttons shift gears, adding to the confusion. Game visuals are simple and effective. Filled polygon effects are done well, and lend realism. The instant replays are the best part of the game, using reverse angles to show you the cause of your latest crash. Aside from a title song, the main game sounds are the roar of the engine and a few digitized clips. Overall, HARD DRIVIN's awkward controls and inaccurate physics make this ambitious title into a disappointment. It will take dedicated enthusiasm to enjoy the game. Atari Corp., $34.95. ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES (Lynx) The Lynx travels to the Orient for a strategy game. This time it's ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES, a conversion of a home computer title. The objective is to place 72 tiles, each with a specific color and figure, on a board next to other matching pieces until either all tiles are used or no more moves are possible. Scoring options, solitaire, alternating with a computer or human opponent, or a tournament play with any number of players are all available. During play, you may take back moves, ask for legal moves, and view the remaining stones. You can also select the tile patterns and set a time limit for moves. Then there is the Oracle; Make a four-way match, and the Oracle offers "ancient wisdom", excerpts of insightful thinking similar to the I Ching. Visually, the game is stunning, with beautiful imagery. ISHIDO: THE WAY OF STONES proves that a game does not need many rules to be sophisticated. The concept is simple, yet each new move offers a wealth of possibilities, making this a perfect game for the deep-thinking strategist. Atari Corp., $39.95. ======================================================================= * A REFERENCE GUIDE by Daniel K. Stoicheff ======================================================================= TO: 1. DATA CARTRIDGES, 2. BERNOULLI CARTRIDGES, 3. SYQUEST CARTRIDGES, 4. SONY OPTICAL DISKS-REWRITABLE, & 5. 4mm and 8mm HELICAL SCAN DIGITAL TAPES January, 1992 1. DATA CARTRIDGES Cartridge Type Nominal Capacity (Mb) Length (ft) --------------------------------------------------- DC100A 0.67 140 DC300A 2.9 300 DC300XLP 45 450 DC600A 60 620 DC600HC 67 620 DC615A 15 150 DC615HC 16 150 DC6150 150 620 DC6150 ZETAMAT 134 620 DC6250 250 1,020 DC6320 320 620 DC6525 525 1,020 DC1000 10-20 185 DC1000 ALPHAMAT 20 185 DC1000 DELATMAT 10 185 DC2000 40 205 DC2000 GAMMAMAT 40 205 DC2000 KAPPAMAT 40 205 DC2000 THETAMAT 40 205 DC2060 KAPPAMAT 60 307.5 DC2080 80 205 DC2080 RHOMAT 80 205 DC2080 XIMAT 80 205 DC2120 120 307.5 DC2110 NUMAT 110 205 DC2120 RHOMAT 120 307.5 DC2120 XIMAT 120 307.5 DC2165 NUMAT 165 307.5 DC9135 MAGNUS 1.35 gigabytes 760 Note= Capacity is drive dependent and may vary with manufacturer. 2. BERNOULLI CARTRIDGES Size Capacity Fits ======================================================= 8 inch 10 Mb 10 Mb alpha drives/compatibles 8 inch 20 20 Mb " " 5-1/4 inch 20 20 Mb beta drives/compatibles 5-1/4 inch 44 44 Mb IBM PC, PS/2 & Macintosh 5-1/4 inch 90 90 Mb " " 3. SyQuest Cartridges SyQuest Removable Storage Cartridges are available in 44 Mb and 88 Mb sizes for use on SyQuest, Macintosh and IBM compatible drive systems. 4. Sony Optical Disks (Rewritable) Size Speed Capacity ========================================= 3-1/2 inch 512 bytes/sec 128 Mb 5-1/4 1024 bytes/sec 596 Mb 5-1/4 512 bytes/sec 128 Mb 5. HELICAL SCAN DIGITAL TAPE Type Length Capacity ================================ 4mm 30m 650 Mb 4mm 60 1.3 Gigabyte 4mm 90 2.6 --------------------------------- 8mm 15 257 Mb 8mm 54 1.15 Gigabyte 8mm 112 2.3 ======================================================================= * PERUSING THE INTERNET (Atari ST) Compiled by Bruce Hansford ======================================================================= Icon libraries for the Newdesk, Vortex PC emulation on the Mega STe, and LOTS of Gadgets/GCR info this week from the Internet... /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 17 Jan 92 17:22:48 GMT >From: math.fu-berlin.de!mailgzrz!w350zrz!subiaagb@uunet.uu.net (Andre Pareis) Subject: How do I add icons to icon "library"? (Mark Miller) writes: |> I have a Mega STe and I've heard it is possible to add icons to its |> "library," so that I could install them on files. Is there a program |> available to edit/create icons, and then saved to some "library"? By |> the way, is the file that stores the icon shapes called DESKICON.RSC? You've heard right! It is possible to add more icons. Didn't you see the files DESKICON.RSC and DESKICON.DFN ? ( I have a German version of a Mega STE and they exist ) I added many new icons: tc, shell, arc, ibm-exe, img ... To do so you need one or two things: A resource construction set with built in icon editor or an extra icon editor which can create data in the format that your own RCS requires. I use DRI RCS 2.0 and a PD - icon editor. DRI RCS requires data in C-code. If you've added icons to deskicon.rsc you can install them after a reboot by clicking on ( I don't know your desktop ) 'install icon'(?), typing the name of your programs ( like "*.c" ) and clicking up or down arrow until the new icon occurs. But note: The file deskicon.rsc can be max. 64k large, be sparing- ly using this feature. /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 20 Jan 92 06:19:56 GMT From:noao!ncar!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!usc!apple!portal!atari! kbad@arizona.edu (Ken Badertscher) Subject: What to do? (Keith Sommerville) writes: |> [...] the label on the bottom of the TT says 8Mb/40Mb. |> [...] However, looking at it with ICD software revealed that it was a |> 48.5 meg drive. Why do Atari hide something like that, or is it just |> a one one off? I confess! It's a conspiracy by Atari to steal 8.5 megabytes from you. You caught us red handed. Boy, it's a good thing those nice ICD people are around, or Atari could have stolen millions of megabytes from TT hard disks all over the world. Darn them, anyhow. That rat Tom Harker is always fouling things up for us by making easy-to-use powerful peripherals. We tried putting him out of business with a bizarre high-capacity hard disk scheme, but he just figured out what BGM meant anyhow. Now our plot to keep 8.5 megabytes of each ST157N we sell is foiled. Geeze, we can't get away with anything any more, can we? ...ken p.s. I think if you check again, you'll find that the TTs sold with ST157N 48 meg drives are partitioned 12 megabytes per partition. If not, just use HDX to repartition 'em. The default partition size for the ST157N is 12 meg plus a bit. -- ||| Ken Badertscher (ames!atari!kbad) ||| Atari Corp. System Software Engine / | \ #include <disclaimer> /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 21 Jan 92 16:41:40 GMT >From: mcsun!unido!news.uni-bielefeld.de!techfak.uni-bielefeld.de! itschere@uunet.uu.net (Torsten Scherer) Subject: VORTEX ATonce 386SX for MSTE's Hi there, according to the numerous postings about PC emulations on Ataris, I'd like to tell everybody who's interested some facts about the VORTEX - ATonce 386SX It's true that it exists, cause I own one. But it's only for use with the MEGA-ST/E, since it is plugged in the PLCC socket of the 68000, and all of the other Ataris have DIP CPU's. Perhaps there is something like an adaptor on the market, but I don't know. Some facts : - 32 bit CPU 80C386SX-16MHz - optional 80C387SX-16 coprocessor - optional 512Kb fast-ram - uses internal MSTE-cache - can use DD and HD floppy drives (theoretically) Some data : - Several graphic emulations like when using a color or monochrome monitor CGA - 640*200 (2) 320*200 (4) when using monochrome monitor HGC - 720*348 (2) OLI - 640*400 (2) EGA - 640*350 (2) VGA - 640*480 (2) - in the last two resolutions you can only have 640KB base memory, all the others can provide 704K base memory - emulates serial mouse on com1: or com2: - emulates centronics printer on lpt1: - every ram above 1 meg is used as extended memory There may be several thing said, but I'd only like to say a few important facts. The graphic emulation is of cource the biggest disadvantage. The EGAmono and Olivetti modes can simply not be detected. If you try driver=detect in turbo for example, CGA is reported. But if you ignore this report, it works well. Sadly, most programs check the hardware before using it, so some programs refuse to run. The VGAmono solution works correctly as MCGA 640*480 (2) mode and can be used. Windows 3.0 runs not only in protected standard mode, but also in extended 386 mode including virtual memory and things like there. The performance, due to the original MSTE-harddisk, not so fast, but bearable. Some performance information: without with FastRam ------------------------------------ Norton SI4.5 12.3 15.7 PCTools 4.2 330% 510% Now what is FastRam? Well, since the MSTE works as a 8MHz system, but the CPU runs with 16MHZ, it had to be slowed down (waitstates etc). The Atonce 386SX uses the internal MSTE-cache and is therefore faster than other emulators on ST's. You can buy the additional fastram, which can be fitted in four sockets on the emulator and then completely replaces the lowest 512KBytes of memory, thus making the whole system another bit more faster. I think this is the absolute maximun in emulation performance for ST's that is and will be. The prices: Vortex Atonce 386SX : ca. 700 DM = 450 US$ The additinal FastRam needn't be bought at Vortex, since standard chips 4*256Kbit-70ns are used and costs about 50 DM = 30 US$. The complete ST-ram can be used as extended memory. It is said that you can also configure it as expanded memory and there is a driver included, but this is not LIM4.0 compatible and therefore not widely accepted by programs. It'd like to say that the expanded memory doesn't work, but when using windows for example, that's not necessary. The whole hardware is emulated quite good. It's funny to see several diagnostic programs reporting all these AT-chips working correctly, and knowing they're not even present. I'm sorry, but I can't exactly remember the adress, but I've seen it was already posted in the last days, so have a look in magazines or other postings. It goes somehow like this: Vortex Computersysteme GmbH Falterstrasse X D-W 7102 or 7201 or X Flein The W is neccessary for foreign writers, cause since the reunification there are some doubled zip-codes. Forgetting this will not end up in a bit error, but surely delay letters for some more days (and the german post office is really not one of the fastest nowadays). Anyone who wants to know more or has special questions, is invited to send e-mail to the following adress: itschere@techfak.uni-bielefeld.de Hope, this has helped some guys... TeSche (Torsten Scherer) /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 23 Jan 92 08:51:26 GMT >From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!wupost!spool.mu.edu!olivea!apple!well! dsmall@arizona.edu (David Small) Subject: Aladin Spectre 3.0 (no prior versions) has the ability to read and write Aladin format disks. Use the Shift-HELP menu to configure the A/B: drives between Aladin/Spectre and 9/10 sectors, if I recall correctly. To transfer data from Atari disks, use the program TRANSVERTER on the Spectre 3.0 disk. It even does some conversions on ASCII data if you wish; it's handy. It moves data from Atari fd/hd to Mac *single sided* MFS disks (Spectre format only); from there you can write to an Aladin disk. In all honesty, it is possible that one or another of Aladin formats was not perfectly supported. I believe they had 9 / 10 sectors, single/double sided disks, and another format with MSDOS-TOS data on one side, and Mac data on the other side. Pull up the Shift-HELP menu from inside Spectre (while in Mac mode) and check it out, and experiment. We added Aladin support as part of the effort to work with customers in Europe who had the Aladin cartridge before the company making it stopped; we did this in 3.0 with foreign language support in menus, etc. CAUTION: Aladin INFECTS Mac programs with a virus called "Frankie virus" by virus killer programs; only fairly recent Disinfectants and such can find it. This virus checks for the Aladin copy protection "dongle" in the cartridge port. It attempts to disable itself while running on a real Mac; it accidentally disables itself on Spectre, due to pure, dumb luck. However, any alteration to a program in that manner is not something to be lightly undertaken, and since you said you were moving data around ... Finally, one other possibility: Boot up an Aladin ST with a terminal program that works, null-modem it to an ST or PC (if PC compatible disks) and x/y/zmodem the files across. I hope this helps. -- thanks, Dave / Gadgets p.s. The author of Aladin is on the net here somewhere ... /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 23 Jan 92 08:38:41 GMT >From: noao!asuvax!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!mips!spool.mu.edu!olivea! apple!well!dsmall@arizona.edu (David Small) Subject: GCR with overscan? // base file has questions about the GCR. // Spectre GCR 3.0 and below (all versions) do not work with overscan. The problem is that in monochrome overscan, the "border" on the sides of the screen is created in video RAM, which hacks off Quickdraw, Mac's drawing package. I'm still looking for a fix, but have a few ideas. We thought we had it fixed once and unfortunately said so. It does not run in the TT color modes. On the TT, you get ST High Res, or the TT dual-page monitor. The GCR does sound like a regular ST. It is difficult to adjust the timing of Mac sounds to the DMA sound timing of the STe/TT; the frequency is a little different. Might be worth doing even if the pitch is off, though, since it will greatly offload the CPU. Happy to answer questions; I have been away from the Net due to SST development for quite some time. You may want to email me at dsmall@well.sf.ca.us as sometimes I don't get here in time before notes scroll off, particularly during "shipping madness". -- thanks, Dave / Gadgets by Small /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ Date: 23 Jan 92 09:34:11 GMT >From: noao!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!apple!well! dsmall@arizona.edu (David Small) Subject: SST shipdate & Gadgets news Here's some updates on the SST, Spectre, MegaTalk, and so forth, for those who aren't on the GEnie / Compuserve networks (was posted there this week). We expect to start shipping SST's this week, barring Murphy's law causing some minor problem. The software, hardware, and manuals are ready, as well as a lot of mailing labels ... :-) We're sorry for the delay in shipping. It was vital to track down a serious bug in the hard disk "life support" for hard disks that were SST RAM (fastram) unaware; it turned out to be a buffer overlaying code. But it took weeks to nail down and led me down many false paths. Fun. Several people have asked about the manual. Currently it is 2.8 megabytes long in Quark X*Press on Sandy's Mac. It works out to around 140 pages, plus or minus a few, on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. It's our best ever, with plenty of interludes. MegaTalk was held up on its production run by having one PAL on every board be bad, probably from the factory. (SST had 4 bad GAL's from the factory -- what's this Built in America stuff? Sheesh, talk about getting good at switching chips). The MegaTalk batch here is about 75% tested, and once you replace the PAL controlling serial I/O, they work fine. They'll ship as soon as we get the SST shipping smoothly; both are backlogged "to the gills" <-- Americanism. Spectre is still at 3.0. Work is being done now on TT SCSI hard disks so the internal drive and other SCSI devices can be accessed; that'll take a little doing but isn't the end of the world. The code to fix the cached accelerator bug on <4 meg machines is very minor (10 minutes?). Finally, System 7 is giving me absolute conniption fits as I trace it, with the ZAX set to "twang" and stop on any access to location 0 (typical Zerostore goblins); I don't understand why any sane programmer would read the entire contents of battery-backed up extended parameter RAM into location 0 on up, thus destroying all the 68000 exception vectors. I'll fix that one, and keep on slogging through until the thing boots up and quits hallucinating about its available memory (current symptom). Problem is, I have NO WAY to predict how many bugs lie between where I am now and bootup time; I just have to fix one and let it "G"o, and see where it crashes NeXT ... *grin*. It's like debugging anything else, I guess. This means, in simple terms, Spectre 3.1 does not exist. Anyone advertising it? I have heard rumours. It just plain does not exist. It's been an interesting few weeks, as you might imagine, and I've seen plenty of Colorado sunrises since I can get work done at night. I have not been on the Net as much as I would like, nor any network; I have had to focus time on SST's hard disk snag, as that was holding up the manual and the disks, and it turned out to be difficult. (ST-Report ran the final story; it's around 450 lines of text.) I'll try to be answering back e-mail over the next few days; I still have a couple minor "clean up" things to do (READ.ME files on the release disks, for instance.). Currently, SST is at version 1.21. We will begin the sixth Gadgets Newsletter as soon as I have something to report on 3.1. I believe we are planning on FREE distribution of 3.1 unless something comes up to snag it (I can remember someone claiming that posting s/w to the nets made it "public domain" ... yeah, right). I don't know if the size, around 400K, will overload the net; I can't FTP and never have, and don't know that side of things whatsoever. Maybe someone can let me in on it. I'd like to get 3.1 around as quickly as possible. Finally, we have isolated several different problems that TT's can have with GCR's. Briefly, they are: * The floppies are getting EMI from the monitor -- move it. * The cartridge port fuse, on the +5 line, is blown. Common. Check pins 14 and 28 for 0 and +5 volts (or close) respectively. * The floppy drives may not be 100% if you have the caches on. A lot depends on how fast the 68030 runs, which can depend on if the program ends up paragraph aligned at a critical point. (True!) Try clicking the caches off from the Spectre menu. * DO NOT TT-RAM flag SPECTRE.PRG, LAUNCH.PRG, or GCRTEST.PRG. * Finally, there can be a timing bug that relates to 68030's in general and the GCR. It really all depends on the particular TT and on a particular chip's speed in the GCR; if your GCR works, don't fix it!!! We have a fix for this timing snag that appears to cure this problem after much testing. I will try to get it from GEnie and upload it here. It involves adding one IC piggyback and an RC network for fine tuning. In the USA a "fix" involving piggybacking 7406 chips was published by Atari User; no one checked with us. We have no idea why this would affect the GCR on the TT whatsoever, and have talked to people who have gone to the trouble of making the change to find it makes no difference. HONEST, the 7406 is NOT IN THE PATH OF THE MAC DATA being made by the GCR and sent to the disk; the GCR drives the write-data line directly! I do not understand what this 7406 fix is about. We have built up several hundred modified GCR's for TT's (they also work on ST's still!) and are getting them into the pipeline. Sorry for the overly long note; I had to route MANY rumours to /dev/rumour/null. -- thanks, Dave Small / Tired Bottle Washer / Gadgets by Small, Inc. GEnie: DAVESMALL CIS: 76004,2136 Here: dsmall@well.sf.ca.us FAX: USA (303) 791-0253, phone (303) 791-6098 mon-wed-fri (it is often busy). /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ ================================================================== * THE SOFTWARE SHELF By Ron Berinstein ================================================================== Well it has really happened this time! Now we have programmers uploading programs that do nothing! Well, upon closer inspection of that thought, I guess that in itself is nothing particularly new, but it is new that a top level Atari "Guru" would post a program that does nothing. Perhaps we should take a closer look at this 128 byte piece that loads in, should we say, "nothing flat?" Atari has released their new version of Hard Drive Utilities. Right on the heels of ICD's release of 5.4.5 comes version 5 from Atari. Read the docs though before installing. And speaking graphically isn't always the most polite thing to do in public, but when one mentions the infamous name of the mysterious "Dreaded M_____" it becomes an eye catching subject. This week he has released a new animation! And guess what! In this imperfect world we finally have another bright spot. STTOOLS version 1.8 added a bright new feature. But, to find out what it is, you'll just have to read on further! Let's start with the A's! ATARIHD5.LZH ATHDX5.LZH are both the new Atari Hard Drive Utilities.(v5. 12/3/91) Inc'd are: HDX v5.00 Hard Disk formatter/ partitioner; AHDI/SHDRIVER v5.00 - Hard Disk Booter. Specially conf'd ver. of SHDRIVER.SYS, allows non-contiguous device numbers & enhanced handling of removable media. Please use HINSTALL to install the new driver; THEN you may copy the SHDRIVER.SYS file. Read DOCS first! ATARI MGR Here is the atari version of MGR, a network transparent window system originally written for Unix. MGR requires 1 meg. of memory (more is better!) and the MiNT multitasking system version 0.6 or better. It runs in high or medium resolution, and should work OK on a moniterm or similar large screen monitor (all the screen graphics use the line A vector). The second file consists of MGR demo programs. * Requires ZOO 2.1 to extract * ABBRV.ARC is the demo of Abbreviator ST accessory for the Atari ST, STe, Mega, and Mega STe series. Save time and effort by storing most used phrases, addresses and information in Abbreviator ST for automatic expansion as you type. It seems to never fail, this program gets a lot of downloads for every post... FUJIM141.LZH Here it is the new release that everyone is scrambling for... FujiMaus with a new PARK feature! Park the mouse at one of 9 designated parking spots on the screen after the first timeout. Unparks back to right where it came from upon any activity (valet parking service!). Thanks to the folks who sent in ShareWare! TT Compatible in all resolutions And for all of you "let's replace the mouse pointer" fans: COOKIE MOUSE Here's a little fun thing which will replace your ARROW mouse pointer with a chocolate chip cookie! This is really funny if you have Dr. Bob's DB_EYES installed. Those eyes just seem to get hungrier and hungrier and hungrier..... And talking about a lot of posts! WHATIS57.LZH WHATIS.ARC WHAT IS FILE TYPE are all this week's version of the Whatis... And i.e. 5.7. Whatis tells you what the file you might be wondering about is all about. This prg. is updated just about weekly.. A new sound editor? (pun intended)! SOUNDLAD.LZH is a new sound editor. It works much like the ST Replay editor, only it is reputed by the author to be superior, and much faster. It lets you add effects, like echo and fade, etc. color only. Neg.TT And for Midi folks... SLCUBASE.LZH is for Super Librarian and Cubase (Atari) owners! These are some of my SL profile sources and Cubase MIDI Manager templates for the Alesis D4 and QuadraVerb, the Kawai K1, the Yamaha FB01, and the Casio CZ-1. STROBE, MIDI SCREEN DISPLAY STROBE is MIDI Strobe Version 1.4 by Carl J. Hafner. What the program does is to interpret a note on/off command as an instruction to generate a random color. Therefore, the faster you play, the faster the program changes the screen's colors. It will run on a color or mono ST (but the color changes do get boring with a mono monitor!). It requires a MIDI keyboard to be connected to your ST to run. Nope, no bad language at all when Maurice speaks graphically.. KLINGONE.ZIP This ZIPped cyber .SEQ animation depicts a Klingon D-7 battlecruiser under fire from an Excelsior class Federation starship. The animation was created and Copyrighted 1992 by Maurice Molyneaux. It should load on ANY ST or TT computer provided it has a least 1-megabyte of RAM. and continuing... TABLE.GIF Remember QRT mentioned last week? Well this is a TT Low GIF of a glass table. Rendered with QRT. It's a demo script in the QRT archive. Took over 7 hours to render on a TT... (rendered in 24bit color, then downgraded to 256 color.) MEGAMOD2.ARC has two more MegaPaint free modules. The Calamus import module lets you load Calamus vector graphics (CVG) and Calamus font files (CFN) into MegaPaint. The additional module lets you load a Calamus print-to-disk file (PAGE.IMG) as a 300 DPI raster image so that you can manipulate laser printer output at the pixel level! Full documentation is included. DEGAS CHARACTER EDITOR Character set EDITor by David Parsons. Works on monochrome Degas fonts only. This file includes the executable, manual, and source code. MONO DEGAS FONTS A collection of monochrome DEGAS fonts. You may install these using CodeHead Software's FONTRX program (part of CodeHead Utilities) or with Neodesk's FONTLOAD program. Edit them using CHEDIT.TTP, uploaded separately. FSTOP, DEGAS VIEWER, SCREEN CA FSTOP is F Stop Utilities a program that allows you to view any DEGAS format (.PI*) picture to be viewed from the desktop. Also included is an .ACC that will take a snapshot of your current desktop/program view and save it as a DEGAS file. You can take snapshots of any application which allows you access to the .ACC menu. Color or mono. Docs included. And what about this file that does nothing? NOTHING.PRG This is the program you've been waiting for! It does absolutely nothing... It can be used w/ Hotwire as an auto run program so that your ledger files will show your bootup time. Or you can use it in a chain to note anything you'd like in your ledger. Its 38 bytes of length is far smaller than this verbose description. And now for some files that do anything but, nothing! GFAXPERT.LZH is a manual for GFA Basic 3.0 containing tips on using it, and several listings as examples and starting shells for your programs. Written in Holland, this edition is in clear English. The book is about 120 pages, with Table of Contents and Index. KEY11.LZH This utility allows BBS Express to run games and programs designed for other BBS programs (or not designed for a BBS at all). This replaces such programs as Chainer and DorInfo. WIZFILE.LZH This is version 1.4 of WizFile, the file-list builder for BBS Express. This program reads your download areas and builds a list of all the files (and descriptions) there for your users to read. This update adds a "New Files" feature. SCPRO241.LZH has a file that lets you learn machine language with this simulator of a simple computer. color monitor required.. TT compatible using 24bit prg. only. STSFIX36.LZH Use this program to add TOS 3.06 rom vectors to STOS Basic version 2.5. This will allow STOS to function properly on a TT. ONLY TT OWNERS should be interested in this file..... STICKYMS.LZH this TSR utility will allow physically challenged (handicapped) people to more easily use the mouse or a mouse stick. TT Compatible in any resolution. MRCURY.ARC is the set up program for you if you are into Internet. The Mercury UUCP mailer package for the Atari. If you're interested in setting up an Internet mail site on your ST, this is the package you've been waiting for. Shareware from Germany, but the program and docs are all in English (German docs included, too!). TOOL18.LZH is ST Tools Version 1.8 New features include a view window and repair/optimize file structure. Requires 330K to run. And for everyone with kids... DISKLOCK.ARC is a memory-resident utility that allows you to toggle write-protection for all connected drives on & off with a hot-key combination. Created to allow young kids to use a computer without fear of unwanted changes to disks. Good for general security as well. Uses only a little over 1 KB RAM. OCULT2_0, HARD DRIVE SECURITY OCULT2_0 is Ocultar v.2.0 This program will protect your Hard Disk from unauthorized access through the use of a User Defined Password. You can make your disk _secure_ if you want. No one is getting into if they don't have the password. Color or mono. ST\STe compatible. Docs included. RANDMGEN, OCULTAR 2.0 UTILITY RANDMGEN is the Random Character Generator which was included with all versions of Ocultar below 2.0. For some reason unkown even to him, Uncle Carl left this out of Ocultar 2.0. Now you can get it here and use it in Ocultar! SNAKE.LZH This is the classical game of the snake that eats and gets longer. It was written entirely in "C" as an exercise in array and pointer handling. The game will run in LOW or MED resolution and it has a high score file. Game play is extremely easy the graphics will not make the earth move and the sound effects are mediocre at best. But the under six crowed love it. GERMAN GAMES This file includes two ACC/PRG (rename as needed) games from Germany. Breakout ('nuff said) and KUBIS - a Tetris clone. They work in Mono or Color. A small English read.me is enclosed, the actual docs are in German but the programs are easy to figure out. Just the thing when a quick time-wasting game is needed. GRANDPA HOWARD MYSTERY GRANDPA is Adventure 1, "A Journey In The Past" in the Grandpa Howard Mysteries. In this program you are transported 100 years back in time in an attempt to help Grandpa Howard find and defeat Dr. Malvert. All is not as it seems however, do in part to the time displacement drag coefficient (of all things). Therefore, what seems to be obvious may not be that way at all! This text adventure makes you work! And last but not least, take a look at these: SPRCRD.LZH SuperCard 1.3, is a flexible shareware database from the UK. Lots of options. Works on an "index card" kind of principal. Records are held in memory, so the program searches very fast. QWKCIS.PRG has QuickCIS, v1.70 for CompuServe users. QuickCIS is an online navigator for your ST/STe/TT and CompuServe. QuickCIS will automatically visit up to six forums, gathering messages and file descriptions. You can peruse this info offline, and later call back with replies, or even download files. QuickCIS includes interfaces to EdHak, XYZ.TTP, YMG.TTP and Shadow. QCHI.KEY is a collection of CodeKeys macros for use with QuickCIS. These function in ST high resolution, but may be modified to work with other types of displays. This file is not compressed, it's too small to bother. Requires QuickCIS and CodeKeys (from CodeHead) to function. COMPRESSION SHELL A GEM front end to arc,lharc,zoo,uue,uud,tar, compress,shar,a pager,an editor, and a user selectable executable. Lots of nice features. Saves alternate command lines for lharc to cope with the instability of this compression utility, and passes working directory information to zoo to allow extraction to (or relative to) any specified directory. Comprehensive TeX documentation in English and German is included. GHOSTSCRIPT FONTS (ZOO) are fonts for Ghostscript, the Postscript Interpreter clone from the Free Software Foundation. UNCLEVOL.ARC UNCLEVOL is a Volume Labeler. This program or accessory will allow you to rename the volume name on your floppy or hard drive. HEIDSEEK, FILE FINDER HEIDSEEK is HeidiSeek Version 0.9 by Carl J. Hafner. HeidiSeek runs as both an .ACC and a .PRG (depending on how you name it). Do you want to know where that file is on your hard drive, or if you have duplicates in different folders? This file is for you. It's fast and easy to use. Just type in the filename (wildcards are acceptable as well) and click on the drive to search and you are off! Color or mono. Docs included. P_ALARM.LZH V.1.92 is Personal Alarm Clock Accessory. It has a corner clock. But, this only works with GEM programs using the menu bar. Written in Personal Pascal. Source included. 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for DELPHI service, call (with modem) (800) 695-4002. Upon connection, hit <return> once or twice. At Password: type ZNET and hit <return>. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon connection type HHH and hit <return>. Wait for the U#= prompt and type XTX99436,GEnie and hit <return>. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership kit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*Net International Atari Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari and related computer community. Material published in this edition may be reprinted under the following terms only. All articles must remain unedited and include the issue number and author at the top of each article reprinted. Reprint permission granted, unless otherwise noted, to registered Atari user groups and not for profit publications. Opinions present herein are those of the individual authors and does not necessarily reflect those of the staff. This publication is not affiliated with the Atari Corporation. Z*Net, Z*Net News Service, Z*Net International, Rovac, Z*Net Atari Online and Z*Net Publishing are copyright (c)1985-1992, Syndicate Publishing, Rovac Industries Incorporated, Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey, 08846-0059, Voice: (908) 968-2024, BBS: (908) 968-8148, (510) 373-6792. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Z*NET: Atari ST Online Magazine Copyright (c)1992, Rovac Industries, Inc... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~