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Text File | 1995-08-21 | 12.1 KB | 249 lines

AMIGA NEWS TORONTO Letter from the Editor Why I decided to write this magazine.... Three words: Because I'm mad. Why am I mad you might ask? Simple, I'm an Amiga user. Who am I mad at? That's an even better question. Commodore? No (although at a time I was). Other Amiga users? Definitely not, they've been the life blood of the Amiga for the past 10 or so years. Then who am I mad at? A small publication called WE Compute... let me explain: The city in which I live (Toronto, Canada) has numerous free papers available (just like any other city really), a number of these are computer papers, mainly aimed at Bill Gates and his Windows following, lemming users. Many of these pages are also devoted to the Macintosh (don't get me wrong, I love the Mac, I emulate it all the time on my Amiga :), but I felt something was missing from the pages of this paper, an Amiga column. Makes sense doesn't it? I mean, these papers are there for end users to pick up, to read, and to learn new things. I used to read them all the time. I used to be an IBM user, and I relied on these types of papers to bring me new information on products and developments. But I didn't just read about PC's, I enjoyed reading about all types of computers. Face it, the more you know, the better off you are. A couple of years ago, I moved to the Amiga from my PC. It was a whole new world! I could do things I never thought possible. I started to defend my Amiga (like any computer user would), when others downed it. I still do in fact, maybe not as much as I used to though :) (Back to WE Compute) I sent some E-Mail to the fine folks at WE Compute, offering to write an Amiga column EVERY month, for FREE. They post their E-Mail address in their issue, so I expected to wait a few days before I heard a response, I thought they might get A LOT of reader mail. Well, I waited, and waited, and waited.... (you get the picture) and no answer came. To say the least, I was insulted. Not just as an Amiga user, but as a computer user in general. Amiga users out there need to be informed of things that are going on in the industry (I guess the Commodore buy-out by Escom wasn't big enough news to the people at WE Compute whereas their section entitled: WHY READ BOOKS WHEN DR. RUTH'S AVAILABLE ON CD?........ was). Kind of sad don't you agree? But what was most insulting was the fact I heard NOTHING. Not even "We're not interested". Want to know what REALLY got me? The next month's issue a friend of mine (who just happens to know someone related to the people at WE Compute), was able to review Macintosh software. Again, I have NOTHING in the world against the Macintosh, I respect it as a computer, and I respect the people that use it, but what got me is what he reviewed..... Speed Doubler - a program to increase your Mac's speed (good article). How to get your Mac on the net - well, I've seen this article about 10 times before this printing. Marathon - a review of a GAME!!! Give me a break! It's a game! I don't think the world would end if WE Compute hadn't run a review of a game. They WASTED an ENTIRE column of paper on a game. That's what insulted me the most. What WE Compute is saying to me is this: Not only is Marathon important to the computing industry, but it is much more important than an entire platform, in this case the Amiga. Personally, I think WE Compute should change their name from WE Compute to WE Compute.... just not with Amiga's. On an interesting side-note, the review of how to get your Mac on the net started like this: "Everybody wants to get on the Internet. Plenty of information is available explaining how to do so for the millions of PC users, but the Mac is virtually ignored by the rest of the world." The Mac is being ignored? Try being an Amiga user..... -Glen Miller (Editor) NEWS & REVIEWS FINAL WRITER VERSION 4.0 Let me get this out now, I love Final Writer. I've used it since version 1, and every version I've used, I've loved that much more. I love the print out (even on my 24-pin printer), I love the Adobe Type 1 font support, I love the speed.... I love everything about this program, and I look forward to new versions being released as I will be FIRST in line to get my copy. Let me tell you something about Final Writer. First it's powerful, a perfect blend of desk top publishing and word processing all rolled up into one. The user interface is a dream! The menus are FULLY configurable, and every function can be based on pull downs, buttons or both. It gives you the ability to load Adobe Type 1 fonts, without having to manipulate them (a la Propage) into their own special format. It's fast too, even on a 68000 based A2000 that just meets the requirements, screen redraws are speedy. It supports screen modes found in your SYS:DEVS/MONITORS drawer. Meaning, if you have an AGA based Amiga, you can run this in up to 256 colours. The printing is wonderful, on ANY Workbench supported printer. The "Jaggies" are virtually non existent on my 24-pin Star 2430 printer. But Final Writer is much more than just a Word Processor, in many ways, it's similar to a DTP program. It supports drawing tools, which can be placed ANYWHERE on your page. You can rotate graphics, place text in a box and rotate that too. You can zoom in on your work, or zoom out to see if everything is placed as you like it. There's more too! In this version, many new things were introduced. First, there is now a grammar checker, and Click Tabs allow you to easily go to a desired page. The interface is more thought out (although I thought previous versions were fine). It took a little while to get used to from Final Writer 3 (as some of the interface is a little different), but I enjoy it more. There is still something I'd like to see, a font preview option, so I can look at a font before I use it. Also, they took away my favourite way of loading a font, by hitting Amiga-T in previous versions would let you load a font from disk. Nothing special, a black font, in point size 12. Now, it gives me many more options, but 99% of the time, I just need a black font. It takes extra time. I hope they put the old way back. Can you tell I like this program? :) Now for the somewhat bad news, the system requirements are unusually high for an Amiga program. First, you must have an Amiga with Workbench 2.0+. Secondly, you must have a hard drive, and you must have 3MB of RAM or more. If you don't meet one of these requirements either upgrade, or if that is not an option, check out Final Copy, the sister program to Final Writer. If you are looking for a new Amiga word processor and meet the requirements, don't sell yourself short. Final Writer 4 is the best Amiga word processor I've EVER used, and the people who make it, seem dedicated to the Amiga. Maybe they could strike up a deal with Escom to include Final Writer with every new Amiga bought. This is the type of program that will get Amiga's into homes. FINAL WRITER 4 ©1995 SOFTWOOD INC. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS WORKBENCH 2.0+ 3MB OF RAM HARD DRIVE IMAGE FX 2.1 One thing we all know the Amiga can do, is graphics. We see them all the time on TV. If you ever watch Babylon 5, SeaQuest, Star Trek: Voyager or many others, you are looking at graphics that are generated with help from the Amiga. Why is the Amiga used so much for graphics? Well, we are one of the few computers out there that can run animations at full screen, at full frame rate. There are others that can do it, but we are one of the few who can do it AFFORDABLY. We also have programs like LightWave that help make our dreams a reality. But does that mean you have to have big bucks to make nice pictures? No, not with the Amiga. Unlike Macs and PCs where you have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a decent graphic package, many Amiga programs are available for under $200. ImageFX is a good example. It has many features behind it. An elegant interface, ability to load 24-bit pictures, virtual memory support, and it's many different types of filters available to it. It really is a wonderful package for home and professional users alike. The basics are there, things like Image converting, simple filters to fool around with, etc. It also includes a morphing program (lots of fun!), and a batch image processor. Another nice touch is an AREXX interface. With AREXX, you can send commands to ImageFX from other Amiga programs, a practical use for this would be for something like a BBS door that would convert images from one format to the other while you are on line. AREXX is very helpful indeed. The thing that I like the most about ImageFX is the fact that it isn't intimidating. It looks easy to use and it is. It's fun too! To sit down with an image and more or less destroy it is fun! :) IMAGEFX 2.1 ©1995 NOVA DESIGN SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS WORKBENCH 1.3+ 3MB OF RAM HARD DRIVE SHAPE SHIFTER 3.1 The world is dominated by IBM and PC clones. However, many of us Amiga users know how frustrating it can be to setup one of these computers. Another alternative to the clones (besides our trusty Amiga's) is the Apple Macintosh. What is so big about the Mac? Well, it's got some great applications, especially in the DTP area. Also, many offices are switching over to Macintosh based computers because of their ease of use. The problem is that even though many of us may have Macs in our offices or (like me) in our schools, we've already invested in our Amiga's and we have no intention of selling them just to become compatible, we would lose too much. That's where Shape Shifter comes in. Currently at version 3.1 it gives Amiga users the ability to run Macintosh software, CHEAPLY. The Amiga and Mac are based on the same processors, the Motorola 68000 series, so only some translation is required between the two systems. Whereas emulating an IBM clone is more difficult as the Amiga uses a different processor. So how good is Shape Shifter you might ask? VERY good. Christian Bauer (the author) has created a VERY high quality product. Earlier versions of Shape Shifter were buggy (at least on my machine) so I stayed clear. But when version 3.0 came out, I gave it a try.... and it worked great! I am able to run programs like MS Word, Claris Works, and MS Works. It also runs all the PD programs I have tried as well like StuffIt Expander and numerous games. Ok, now that I've got your interested, let me tell you about what you'll need. First you'll need a copy of Shape Shifter and the SAVE ROM program that comes with it. This program will convert a hardware Macintosh ROM into a file for Shape Shifter to use. Secondly you'll need a copy of the Macintosh operating system, you can FTP a copy of the disk images from FTP.APPLE.COM. You'll probably need a high density floppy drive (although you can get by with a double density), as most Macintosh programs come on high densities. Just a note, Amiga's CANNOT read double density Macintosh disks. Finally, you'll need AT LEAST a 68020 based Amiga, with at least 4MB of RAM (although 8MB is recommended). Workbench 2.0+ is required and a hard drive is recommended as well. Shape Shifter supports most popular 24-bit video boards, and the ability to add in additional boards through modules. It will also run on ECS and AGA based Amiga's. The unregistered version supports hard files (files created on your hard drive to emulate real hard drives), where the registered version lets you use hard drives or hard drive partitions. Registration is $40 US funds. SHAPE SHIFTER VERSION 3.1 © 1995 Christian Bauer SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS WORKBENCH 2.0+ 4MB OF RAM+ HARD DRIVE E-MAIL US! Next month I will have a small section for readers to write in and express their ideas and thoughts. Questions, along with advice are also welcomed, and comments (good or bad) are also appreciated. If you are interested in having your voice heard, then send your mail to: Glen_Miller@KIWI.COM I may not publish every piece of mail, but I WILL read them, and reply (unlike WE Compute). See you next month!