INFO-ATARI16 Digest Sat, 18 Nov 89 Volume 89 : Issue 672 Today's Topics: 360k floppy (2 msgs) Asst. Dribble.... BOP questions COMDEX (long article) TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 18 Nov 89 05:06:34 GMT From: cs.utexas.edu!usc!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!unix.cie.rpi.edu!vicc@tut.cis.ohio -state.edu Subject: 360k floppy well I got my 360k floppy sort of working. The Atari reads it but wont write to it. A previous poster mentioned a program PCF554.PRG. Where can I get this, prefferably someplace which I can order it by mail (or that I can send a disk and return postage to) -- Frank Filz Center For Integrated Electronics Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vicc@unix.cie.rpi.edu ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 89 04:53:47 GMT From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!rpi!unix.cie.rpi.edu!vicc@think.com Subject: 360k floppy Well I got my 360k floppy working - sort of. The Atari reads the drive just dandy, but it wont write worth a damn (except to the directory) One porblem it took me a while to discover, the external drive must be on when the ST boots so that it recognizes it. A previous poster mentioned a program PCF554.PRG which would be necessary to use 360k, where can I get this? I can ftp but some us-snail method would be better (Ie if a pd sw house sells it for $5-10 that would be best since I must call long distance to get to the net. I would be willing to mail someone a disk w/return postage also. -- Frank Filz Center For Integrated Electronics Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute vicc@unix.cie.rpi.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Nov 89 18:54:46 MST From: ehsnsr@jupiter.nmt.edu (Eric Hobbs) Subject: Asst. Dribble.... OK! OK! So I got some facts wrong. Almost every statistic I mentioned was in some way or another half-way remembered from articles from magazines, but I'm not going to bother with the particulars. Anyway, the point of the posting was apparently missed. The point was that some people are making it seem like Sam T. et al are purposely trying to destroy Atari. What I was saying is that this is ridiculous. Who in their right mind would want to destroy something that they have spent so much time on? About the negative comments...Why would Atari want to support people who bitch about them all the time? Think about it. Anyway, enough with the bickering. Oh, and by the way, BoBR, if I said anything to upset you, I'm sorry. I just don't like it when people criticize something that I spent so much money on. I've got friends with Macs and IBMs who do that :-). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Enough's Enough!!" Eric Hobbs ehsnsr@JUPITER.nmt.edu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ Date: 17 Nov 89 00:28:30 GMT From: hpfcso!hpldola!jg@hplabs.hp.com (Joe Gilray) Subject: BOP questions I recently purchased a used version of the original version of BALANCE OF POWER (Thanks, peter!). I'm very impressed with the game but a have a few questions which are not dealt with in the manual: 1) The game appears to be copy protected, at least none of the copys I made ran, they all bombed. It runs fine from the original disk. Has anyone made a backup or do I have to run from the original? 2) If I have to run from the original, then I should probably keep the original physically write protected, right? If this is true, then I have a few questions: a) When the game starts, it tries to write a file to the disk, since the disk is write protected, I get the "cancel retry" dialog. At this point I can either cancel at which point the game seems to proceed normally, or I can switch disks at which point the game writes a "SAVEDGAM" file and continues. Which method do you use? b) How can I replay a saved game if it is on a different disk than the game itself? I've tried choosing "load game" in the BOP startup screen, but if I switch disks before pressing "load game" or after, the system seems to lock up, any suggestions? So far I cannot replay a game as there is not enough room on the original disk to save a game (even if I did feel safe removing the write protection on the disk). c) There is a a:\a\savedgam file on the game disk, is this somehow involved in saving games (if so, what a poor name for the file!). 3) Often, when I try to get "history" on a country, the system will crash with three bombs (address error). Does this happen to everyone or is it my configuration (1040STf, TOS 1.0, fatspeed.prg, foldr080.prg)? As I said the game itself is great, it's just the outer shell (copy protection, no way to replay a saved game, no documentation on how to replay a game, etc.) that is a bother. Thanks for any help Joe Gilray ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 89 05:15:50 GMT From: gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!lavaca.uh.edu!uhnix1!uhnix2!uace0@think.com (Michael B. Vederman) Subject: COMDEX (long article) Well, I just got back from COMDEX, and all I can say is that things look really good for Atari in 1990. I just read Dave Beckemeyer's post, and he pretty accurately described was displayed in the Atari area. (I wish I would have known Dave was there so I could have met him...) However, I was extremely impressed by what I saw. The TT is *real* altho not many exist right now. It is blindingly fast in disk access, the screen redraw looked as if Turbo ST were installed, but of course that doesn't work on the TT. The graphics demos they showed were cutesy - a 'monocle' program that showed a digitized picture of Dave Staugas with a mignifyong glass going over portions of the picture magnifying it as it passed over. Cyber Sculpt was running on it and apparently had no problems. It ran very fast. The graphics modes looked really nice, and the resolution really added to the perceived colors. I poked around on the hard disk connected to the TT, and found a fractals program. This baby flew! Fractal geometry is inherently slow, but this thing really zipped along! On the back were the plethora of ports, SCSI, ASCI, CENTRONICS, SERIAL, monitor,disk drive. On the left side were the cartridge port, midi, and the SEC (low speed LAN) port (which was in the shape of the Apple serial connector). I can only assume that it was connected to the SEC chip (as the Apple has), but Antonio Salerno (VP of product/developer support) wouldn't comment on it. He just said that when we get ours, we should hook it up and see what happens... (When we will get ours, we don't know yet...) I liked the TT, and the case wasn't nearly as bad as I had thought, even after seeing pictures of it in verious mags... I want one, and it is a very nice machine! $3K would include the hard disk, which is (according to Charles Cherry) is designed to be able to 'pop out' and be replaced with another. The cover over it apparently pops open some how. We couldn't get it open, but we didn't try very hard. The STe was there. Nice display, and very nice stereo sound. It only had a game running on it, and when I was looking at it, Dave Staugas came over to put a new one there... It looked the same as a 1040, except that it had two jacks on the back for right and left stereo sound, and two additional joystick ports on the left side. How many colors were being displayed in the game? I don't know, but the sound was very excellent. STacy looked good. Several of them there. DeskSet II was being shown, and apparently is a finished project. According to Elizabeth Shook (who displayed DeskSet last year at COMDEX) it was a pet project of Leonard Tramiel, and is quite done. They had a real box and everything there... The IBP industrial mega component system was extremely impressive. It features plug in boards (one board is a complete mega) that fits into a chasis that has VME, EUROBUS compatibilty. The system is named the 190ST. I was extremely impressed by this system. It looked very respectable and industrial. The Atari booth was very very nice. Much better than last years display in the Gold Room. As soon as you walked into the West hall, you saw Atari, and couldn't help but see the Spectre GCR. The overall feel was much better than last year, and very professional feeling. As far as the overall feel of Atari at the show. I had no way to judge that. People already associated with Atari had the usual remarks. The LYNX was not displayed because it was not a computer system (sob sob), but I did get to see it at the developer's party Wednesday night. Sam Tramiel had one in a bag he was carrying, and just as he was showing it to some press people, I walked up to get some food (sneaky, I know). Actually, I didn't know he was showing it, but found out when I got up there. The LYNX is a really neat gadget! The color is great, the sound is great, and he was playing it like a pro. He said that 100,000 were going to ship at the end of the month to New York, and it would retail for $169. I'd like to get one, but it has no real merit for me. He did say they expect to have millions made next year. The new person at Atari that will be helping developers is Charles Cherry, a loooonng standing veteran of the Atari world. Charles has been using and programming Ataris for at least 10 years (since the 400 came out). I have had dealings with Charles when he worked at Antic (until the beginning of this month in fact). He is quite a guy, and very competent. He is the right person to be in charge of developer support. I had the chance to talk at length with Charles Wednesday, and he really made me believe that good things were happening at Atari. Frankly, I believe him. He has always done me right with my dealings with him at Antic. Among the things announced for registered developers was all Atari hardware for 50% off! This is significant. He also said that he hopes to coordinate developer efforts, and get them in contact with companies that could help them along. He also plans on having a monthly newsletter that the developers themsleves can use to write and discuss issues in. Also promised were the complete userbase listing for Atari registered owners for specific direct mailings. This is a few things promised to help the US developers. Charles had been refusing the job for well over a year before he finally accepted it. He said things were finally to the point that he wanted to go there. Everything sounds excellent to me, and I believe it will all come about. Albeit, things will be slow at first, and it will take the sincere effort of developers to help out, but in my opinion (and I have never been really impressed by Atari's past promises or efforts) 1990 is going to be the year for Atari. I predict a strong surge in the US market, but of course, this depends on their getting the STacy, TT, and (leastly) the LYNX to market. At the party Wednesday, Sam said honestly, that both were being held up by the FCC. This I can believe. Overall impressions of COMDEX 1989 for Atari: I'm not gonna sell my ST, I'm gonna get a TT, and start developing new stuff for it. Atari is finally serious and finally has competent people in the right places. I also got to meet Ken Badertscher and John Townsend. Both fine fellows! After last years COMDEX where I didn't feel any strong good feelings about Atari, this year I am enthused once again! Atari is gonna come back (I hope). - mike vederman The opinions expressed are my own (but the other people that went with me were equally impressed!) and do not necessarily reflect any other persons feelings, dead or alive. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Double Click Me | Double Click Software | P.O. Box 741206 | Houston, Tx, 77274 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Support BBS: (713)944-0108 | SHADOW | DC FORMATTER | DC UTILITIES | and others ------------------------------ Date: 18 Nov 89 02:22:38 GMT From: matthews@umd5.umd.edu (Mike Matthews) Subject: TOS 1.4 Incompatibility List Request In article <5440079@hplsla.HP.COM> andyc@hplsla.HP.COM (Andy Cassino) writes: >I guess I have an entry for the TOS 1.4 incompatibility list - Turtle 3.0! > % Andy Cassino % > % uucp: hplabs!hplsla!andyc domain: andyc%hplsla@hplabs.hp.com % Try disabling cachexxx.prg; works fine with TOS 1.4 as long as you don't use cachexxx. Mike ------------------------------ End of INFO-ATARI16 Digest V89 Issue #672 ***************************************** =========================================================================