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*---== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE ==---* """"""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" _____________________________________ from STR Publishing Inc. """""""""""""""""" October 26, 1990 No.6.43 ======================================================================= STReport Online Magazine? Post Office Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32205 ~ 6672 R.F. Mariano Publisher - Editor _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT BBS: 904-786-4176 USR/HST DUAL STANDARD FAX: 904-783-3319 12 AM - 6 AM EDT _________________________________________ ** F-NET NODE 350 ** 500mb Online ** STR'S owned & operated support BBS carries ALL issues of STReport Online Magazine and An International list of private BBS systems carrying STReport Online Magazine for their users enjoyment __________________________________________________________________ > 10/26/90: STReport? #6.43 The Original 16/32 bit Online Magazine! ------------------------- - The Editor's Desk - CPU Report - CPU MacNews - A REAL Dealer! - Widgets Phantom! - MichTron SOLD! - LCACE Updates - MegaSTe REAL! - STR Confidential * NEW ENGLAND ATARIFEST REPORTS! * * ATARI CANADA SHIPPING TT030 (DEMO UNITS) * * 16Mhz MEGA STE TO DEBUT * ========================================================================== ST REPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE? "Only UP-TO-DATE News and Information" -* FEATURING *- Current Events, Up to Date News, Hot Tips, and Information Hardware - Software - Corporate - R & D - Imports ========================================================================== STReport's support BBS, NODE # 350 invites systems using Forem ST and Turbo Board ST BBS to participate in the F-Net mail network. Or, call Node 350 direct at 904-786-4176, and enjoy the excitement of exchanging ideas about the Atari ST computers through an excellent International ST Mail Network. All SysOps in the F-Net are welcome to join the STReport Crossnet Conference. The Crossnet Conference Code is #34813, and the "Lead Node" is # 350. All systems are welcome to participate. Join Today! ========================================================================== AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH: GENIE ~ DELPHI ~ BIX ~ F-NET ========================================================================== > The Editor's Podium? Here we are, reflecting on the success of another show, this being the New England Atari Fest 1990. The numbers of enthusiastic Atarians never ceases to amaze me. Granted the Atari is the very best home computer money can buy, but to see folks look to Atari for constant support and new innovative ideas is great. Where can anyone find such confidence in the thought and design process of any company? "The turnout was excellent for a one day event." "They came from all over the country and Canada." "Everybody is buying something new for their computer." These are but a few of the statements overheard through the course of the day at this show. All that needs to be said is the east coast is far from an "also ran" when it comes to enthusiastic support for Atari Computers. Elsewhere in this issue you will find info on the new products to be released at Comdex, and of course, a few never before mentioned items that will fuel your enthusiasm. As always, thank you for your support! Ralph....... *********************************************************************** NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY COMPUSERVE WILL PRESENT $15.00 WORTH OF COMPLIMENTARY ONLINE TIME to the Readers of; STREPORT ONLINE MAGAZINE? """""""""""""""""""""""" "The Original 16/32bit Online Magazine" NEW USERS; SIGN UP TODAY! CALL: 1-800-848-8199 .. Ask for operator 198 You will receive your complimentary time and be online in no time at all! NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE *********************************************************************** WHAT'S NEW IN THE ATARI FORUMS 10/26/90 NEW SECTIONS IN ATARI PORTFOLIO FORUM We've established Message Section 16 and Library 16 in the Atari Portfolio Forum (GO APORTFOLIO) for New Product Announcements relating to the Portfolio. Files will be forthcoming. ATTENTION DEVELOPERS - Please feel free to upload your press releases to this new area. ATARI DEVELOPER NEWSLETTERS AVAILABLE IN ATARIPRO Atari Corp. uploaded copies of their developer newsletters from December, 1989 thru June, 1990. All are available in LIBRARY 7 of the Atari Produc- tivity Forum (GO ATARIPRO). If you are a registered Atari developer and do not currently have access to LIBRARY 7 in the Atari Productivity Forum, please send a CompuServe Mail message (GO MAIL) requesting access to User ID number 70007,1072. LEXICOR CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT The transcript from the Lexicor conference held on October 18 is now available in LIBRARY 1 of the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) as LEXCO.ARC. And is also available in STReport 6.42 available in Library 1 of the Atari Arts Forum. LEXICOR ONLINE Please join us in welcoming LEXICOR Software to the Atari Forums on CompuServe. LEXICOR will be joining the Atari Vendors Forum very shortly to provide official online customer support. Until their debut in the Vendors Forum, we've opened up Message Section 11 and LIBRARY 11 in the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for messages and files relating to LEXI- COR. The following files are currently available in LIBRARY 11: LEXLST.TXT - ASCII Catalog of LEXICOR's Products BTRFLY.LZH - Butterfly animation by Lee Seilor NET.LZH - Ball and Net animation by Lee Seilor SPIDER.LZH - Spider animation by Lee Seilor Lee Seilor [76106,3024], Robert Birmingham [73637,1120], and David Ramsden [76703,4224] will be answering messages for LEXICOR. TRADE SHOWS MESSAGE AREA We've established Message Section 12 in the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) for "Trade Shows." You'll find news and conversation relating to upcoming Atarifests and computer industry trade shows in this new message section. ST REPORT MOVES TO SECTION 14 Our ST REPORT Message Section in the Atari Arts Forum (GO ATARIARTS) has moved to Section 14. _________________________________________________________________ > CPU REPORT? ========== Issue # 88 ---------- by Michael Arthur CPU MacNews? =========== APPLE'S NEW MACS: MACINTOSH CLASSIC, TT KILLERS, AND IIS REVISITED ------------------------------------------------------------------- Recently, Apple introduced a new line of Macintoshes that, unlike other "Mac Rollouts", are aimed at bringing the low-end of the computer industry into the Apple fold. Announcing them along with a new version of System Software (Version 6.0.7), and a new Hypercard (Version 2.0), Apple is attempting to seize large segments of the home/small business market that have previously been dominated by MS-DOS clones. The new systems in Apple's Macintosh line are: 1) Macintosh Classic: Similar in appearance to a Mac SE, it has an 8 MHZ 68000 (running at 7.83 MHZ), a SuperDrive 1.4 Meg Floppy Drive, and a built-in monochrome monitor. It also has six ports, including an SCSI hard drive port, two serial ports, one ADB (Apple Desktop Bus) interface (for use by the keyboard that is bundled with the Mac Classic), and a port for an external drive. Cost: Mac Classic w/1 Meg of RAM, no Hard Drive: $1000. ---- Mac Classic w/2 Megs of RAM and a 40MB Hard Drive: $1500 Apple is targeting the Macintosh Classic at both the home/small business markets. Substantial discounts on the Mac Classic are now being offered to the educational market, which was once dominated by the Apple II line, but which has recently become dominated by IBMs. (Note: At this price, the Macintosh Classic is only $100-$200 more expensive than a 1040 STe with a monochrome monitor. In addition, Schools will be able to obtain them for the same price as a 520 STe. 2) Macintosh LC: Having a "pizza-box" case, the Mac LC uses a 16 MHZ 68020 chip, and has a built-in 8-bit color video chip that allows it to control a monitor without an additional graphics board. Unlike the Mac Classic, the Mac LC doesn't come with a keyboard. However, it does have a 1.4 Meg Floppy Drive, 2 Megs of RAM, and these 7 ports: - SCSI Hard Drive Port - One Sound Input port (for Sound Digitizer) - Apple Desktop Bus Port - One video port (for Apple Monitors) - Two Serial ports - One Sound Output port (for stereo speakers) Cost: Mac LC w/40 Meg Hard Drive: $2500 - Apple Keyboard: $130 ---- Apple 12" Monochrome Monitor: $300 - Apple 12" RGB Display: $600 AppleColor High Resolution RGB Monitor: $1000 With the Macintosh LC (and the Mac IIsi), Apple has included a sound digitizer chip that allows users to make digital recordings of voices and other sounds. In order to encourage its use, Apple is bundling a microphone with the LC and IIsi, which plugs into the LC and IIsi through the "Sound Input Port". Apple has also created a Sound Manager Toolbox (found in Version 6.0.7 of the Mac System Software) for a standardized method of supporting sound in applications. Several Macintosh software developers, including Microsoft and Farallon Software, have pledged to support the sound digitizer's features in their products. The Mac LC has a single expansion slot (called the "020 Direct Slot"), which isn't compatible with NuBus Expansion cards used by the Mac II line. However, Apple is selling an Apple IIe Emulator card that works ONLY with the Mac LC. Using 512K of on-board RAM, the Apple IIe Card can run IIe applications which aren't copy-protected. Like most Emulators, it uses the LC's monitor and keyboard. Apple is marketing this board towards the Educational market, saying that schools will be able to use their old Apple II software while "moving towards Macintosh power." However, there are several factors weighing against the success of this Apple IIe Card. It is only compatible with programs that run under ProDOS (an Apple IIe DOS-type system), and needs an additional 5 1/4 inch floppy disk drive in order to ACCESS any Apple II programs. Since Apple's 5 1/4" Disk Drive costs $200-$300, the total cost of emulating the Apple II with a Mac LC will be at least $500. For that price, an Apple II user can buy a new, COMPLETE Apple II clone made by Laser Inc. Furthermore, many Apple II users have expressed the sentiment that the Apple IIe Card is just an expensive way of coaxing II Users into buying a $2500.00 Macintosh. More significantly, a majority of these II Users see the IIe Emulator as Apple's way of slowly abandoning the Apple II computers altogether.... 3) Macintosh IIsi: This computer has a 20 MHZ 68030 microprocessor (with a slot for a 68882 floating point math chip), an 8-Bit color grap- hics chip, an Apple 1.4 meg floppy drive, and the seven ports found on the Mac LC. Like the Mac SE/30, the IIsi has a single expansion slot that can handle either NuBus Expansion Cards or "030 Direct Slot" cards used by the Mac SE/30. However, in order to USE this expansion slot, you have to buy an additional Slot Adapter. Cost: ---- Macintosh IIsi with 2 Megs of RAM and a 40 Meg HD: $3800 Macintosh IIsi w/5 Megs of RAM and an 80 Meg HD: $4600 Apple Extended Keyboard: $230 Mac IIsi NuBus Adapter Card: $250 Mac IIsi 030 Direct Slot Adapter Card: $250 Similar to a Mac IIcx in appearance, the Mac IIsi is intended to replace it (and the Mac SE/30) as the entry-level system in the high end of the Macintosh line. This is shown by the fact that, unlike the other Mac II computers, the IIsi does NOT come with a floating point math chip, and requires a "slot adapter" to be expandable. However, the Mac IIsi is in the SAME price range as the Amiga 3000 and Atari TT, and is only slightly slower than the 25 MHZ A3000 and 33 MHZ TT. More importantly, it seems that for the first time, Commodore and Atari will have to compete directly with Apple in a specific segment of the computer industry. In the past, Commodore and Atari were able to get small niches in the marketplace (like the MIDI and Desktop Video markets) by competing on the basis of having a comparable product for a superior price. But now, they will have to compete with the Macintosh's reputation, Apple's planned multimillion dollar advertising campaign, and the extensive sales network that Apple has established in the business and educational markets. With such an arsenal, Atari has a tough task in making the TT a minor standard in the US marketplace. However, Atari's long-term survival (read: after Portfolio sales decline) depends on succeeding in the microcomputer marketplace.... APPLE REPORTS LOWEST REVENUE INCREASE IN 5 YEARS ------------------------------------------------ Apple Computer, in its recent Financial Report for the 1990 Fiscal Year, announced that its net revenues for the year were $5.558 billion, or a 5 percent increase over its 1989 net revenues. This is significant because it is Apple's smallest revenue increase since John Sculley became Chairman of Apple. Interestingly, International sales accounted for 42 percent of Apple's net sales in 1990, while they were only 36 percent of Apple's revenue in 1989. Apple Financial Stats 1989 1990 --------------------- Annual Net Revenue: $5.24 Billion $5.58 Billion Net Income: $454.0 Million $474.9 Million Earnings Per Share: $3.53 $3.77 International Sales, as Percent of Total Revenue: 42 Percent 36 Percent ------------------------------------------------------------- > CPU STATUS REPORT? ================= - Chicago, IL PRISONER RUNS MODEM-BASED FRAUD RING FROM JAIL CELL ----------- Daniel Faries, a convicted murderer from Florida, has pled guilty to charges of using a modem and computer for running a credit card fraud operation from prison. Faries says that he used this operation (and incidentally, other people's credit card numbers) to buy over $500,000 dollars worth of expensive gifts like: - Flowers and jewelry for his wife. - Diamond-Studded false teeth for a fellow inmate's mother. - Cases of wine, limousine service, and gold coins for relatives. - Rolex watches and snakeskin boots for several guards at Miami's Dade county Jail (in exchange for being allowed to use a computer) After he pled guilty, Faries asked the judge presiding on the case to give him the maximum jail term so he can return to prison and "think up a new scheme". Interestingly, he is already under life imprisonment for committing a Florida murder, so any additional "penalties" don't mean a thing to him. The Secret Service has found $500,000 worth of goods purchased by Faries' operation. However, it estimates that over 125 people were involved in his ring, and that these people "could have charged millions of dollars more...to other people's credit cards." Furthermore, it will be very difficult to prove that those who received gifts from Faries knew how he actually bought them.... Interestingly, Faries was STILL able to continue running his operation after the Secret Service had transferred him to a Federal Prison in Chicago to face the credit card fraud charges. He tapped into the prison's phone system, and used a digital watch's tones (which sounded similar to those of a touch-tone telephone) to call out of the prison.... - Gaithersburg, MA NIST CONSIDERS FORMING ANTI-VIRUS GROUP ---------------- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is now asking for comments and suggestions on a proposal for forming a "virus defense" consortium. This organization, which would receive both federal funding and support from computer industry groups, would aid in coordinating efforts to fight computer viruses. NIST is now operating a BBS for spreading information about the symptoms and effects of several computer viruses. This BBS (which operates at 300-2400 baud) is also a source of information about the virus consortium proposal. To access its virus information database, one can call the NIST BBS at 1-301-948-5717. - Cambridge, MA LOTUS WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST 1-2-3 CLONES ------------- Lotus Development Corp. recently reached out-of-court settlements with Paperback Software and Mosaic Software for a dispute over violations of copyrights on Lotus 1-2-3's command structure. Paperback Software has agreed to take its VP Planner spreadsheet program off the market, and to pay Lotus $500,000 in royalties. Also, Paperback Software won't be appealing the US District Court ruling on the Lotus/Paperback case, which said that it had illegally copied substantial elements of Lotus 1-2-3's User Interface.... Mosaic Software Inc. has also reached an settlement with Lotus, in which it concedes that its spreadsheet program (called "The Twin") also illegally copied 1-2-3's User interface. Mosaic Software will also be taking "The Twin" off the market. Among other things, the settlements reached by Paperback and Mosaic Software means that Lotus will be able to use the US District Court's rulings on the scope of the 1-2-3 copyrights in its case against Borland's Quattro Pro spreadsheet. As in the other cases, Lotus is alleging that Quattro Pro (which is now overtaking Lotus 1-2-3 in the DOS spreadsheet market) also infringes on Lotus 1-2-3's copyrights.... __________________________________________________________ > The Flip Side STR Feature? From a different viewpoint! ========================= A LITTLE OF THIS, A LITTLE OF THAT by Michael Lee Occasionally I'm asked which of the three major on-line services I like best: CIS, Delphi or Genie. To me, that is one of those really difficult questions, on par with "Which do you like best, steak, ice cream or potatoes". All three are foods but there are times when I like each one "best". It's the same with the three major on-line services; each one has a different flavor and texture, and there are times when I think of each one as "best". CIS is the grandpappy of the on-line services and has several different ST areas. It's the most expensive of the three services but it offers the same price 7 days a week, 24-hours a day. The other two services charge you "an arm and a leg" if you want to call during prime time (usually 7am to 6pm) but CIS charges the same no matter what time you call. There's usually plenty of sysops and users available to answer any questions that you have. The ST area on Delphi is probably the smallest of the three major's but it's growing rapidly. Much of that rapid growth is due to the casual atmosphere in the message base; people seem to let down their hair and just chat. Also, the recently implemented 20-20 Plan probably has had a lot to do with it's recent growth. For $20 a month, you can call 20 hours (non-prime time) and you're not limited to just the ST area. All of Delphi is available for that $20. Last, but certainly not least, is Genie. It's the "newest kid" on the block but in just a few short years, it has grown to be possibly the major on-line service for ST users. Besides the ST Roundtable, there are also 4-5 other individual ST product support Roundtables. Not satisfied with the success they've had, Genie recently came up with Star Services. With Star Services, you pay one small monthly fee (I believe it's $5.00) and your 1200 and 2400 on-line times are only $6.00 per hour (non-prime time). Plus, with Star Services there are many of the Roundtables which are free!! That's right, free!! This week, Genie added the coup de grace..ST Aladdin!! Written by T. Purves of Griffin Software, ST Aladdin is a front-end program that automates all your GEnie Roundtable and GEmail functions for you. Once you get it setup properly (I'm still working on that) it does everything for you. ST Aladdin log's you onto Genie, captures all the new messages and file listings (from as many Roundtables as you wish), and then logs you off. At your convenience, you can read and reply to the messages and mail, and pick out which files you want to download. It will then go back on-line, send your replies and download the files you want. It does a lot more (I'm still learning) but that gives you the basic idea behind it. It speeds up your on-line time, thus saving you money. ST Aladdin is a very well written program (what else would you expect from Tim) and is heavily documented. The price? Just the cost of downloading it!! That's right, it's another "freebie" from Genie!! That will give you a brief synopsis of each service. Each one has dedicated sysops who will try to make your time on-line as pleasurable and enjoyable as possible. Each one has interesting message bases. Each one has a good file area (though Genie's seems to be the largest). You will find many of the same users frequent two or more of them, so no matter where you go, you'll find friendly faces. So which one should you join? Do like I did, join all three!! ---------------- I just want to thank ICD for an excellent design with the internal Mega HD adaptor/mount. Last Friday, while leaving my office, I managed to DROP my Mega 4 off my desk. As it bounced off my chair on its way down, I stood transfixed and watched until it hit the floor. I have a carpeted floor so the case wasn't broken but when I picked it up something rattled. I figured the HD mount had let go or the Seagate had broken apart. THAT is one miserable feeling! Got home suicidal and took the Mega apart. Everything looked OK except that my T-16 had come out of its socket. Put it back in the socket, booted with trepidation... everything worked fine! The T-16 was in a bastard socket - I'd used the original socket in my old sold ST. Here's to Atari's designers for coming up with one TOUGH computer, to Jim Allen for solid design of his accelerator, and... particularly to ICD for designing a perfectly-fitting, strong mount for their internal HD kit! Thanks to all for protecting this user from himself. (From Mike Valent on Genie.) ---------------- Until next week.... _____________________________________________________________ > NE AtariFest STR SHOW NEWS? New England Atari Fest Overviews... ========================== NEW ENGLAND ATARI FEST 1990 =========================== by Ralph Mariano The show was.... in so many words excellent! After arriving friday afternoon to what seemed to be "super frigid weather", I was met by Dana Jacobson at the arrivals gate. After waiting for the luggage, we retired to the lounge for a few moments to see if anyone else would show up. Dana gave me many 'sights' to behold on the way to his lovely home. Most of them translated into some of the reasons why I left the northeast 30 years ago, almost all traffic related! Aside from the freezing cold, the traf- fic ate up close to an hour in getting from the airport to Dana's that's a trip that normally takes 10-15 minutes. After arriving at Dana's and getting settled in, we headed out to the show site to help set up the area. My immediate impression was extremely positive, "these folks really wanted to stage a super successful show". The following morning came mighty fast, I was at the show site at 7:am helping with last minute preparations. It was, as always, quite a treat to see all the familiar faces from the past shows I've attended. The best part of all though, is meeting the new folks and those whom you have been "typing to" but had never met. Once the doors opened to the public, the dam was broken. From about 15 minutes after the doors opened, it became very apparent that this one day show was on its way to a resounding success. Meeting the faces behind the names took on a whole new meaning when I finally met Bruno Puglia, Bruno is not at all like you would expect after reading the volume of posts he has sent in the ICD areas. Bruno has had his share of problems with hardware, but in reality, he knows what he is talking about. Between him and Joe Mardo they could very well solve many of the annoying problems found. It was indeed quite a sight to see Bruno in the ICD booth for a short while. The vendors and exhibitors, one and all, expressed that they were satisfied with their results at the show. The STReport seminar produced a number of excellent questions from the users, the main theme of which embodied the basic apprehensiveness of the future. The single biggest point most all agreed upon is that Atari must advertise, Atari simply must let the whole country know they are here and in the computer business. The majority of the users expressed a strong desire to see Atari continue and do well despite the presence of its obvious ongoing problems. Since the departure of Elie Kenan, the stock has dipped below the 2 dollar mark and rose again to a little above two dollars. The latest revelation that G. Pratt has been appointed to take Kenan's place seems to be receiving mixed reviews and impressions. Time will tell.. this is the most optimistic and generally heard opinion. Getting back to the show, I had the opportunity to meet Steve Rider, Bill Turner and Matt Singer of Forem BBS fame. We enjoyed a pleasant discussion about Atari, its future and a number of other interesting matters. The only downside to the show was the incidents involving Dar- lah's wallet disappearing the night before at dinner and the satchel full of hardware that grew legs on saturday morning. I'll certainly be ready to fully support next year's New England Atari Fest. In fact, I'd be the first to recommend they go to a two day show. The level of enthusiasm and participation I witnessed gives every indica- tion that a two day show would simply be outstanding. The attendance figures for a one day show were very impressive, the combined number (paid and non-paid) were well over 800. A two day show with a dinner, (maybe a dinner/dance? -hint-) on a saturday evening would do very nicely to round out a really good affair. What follows are a number of online posts concerning the show that were written by various attendees. CTSY GEnie T.MCCOMB posts; Well I just returned from the New England AtariFest '90! I had a good time. It was a long drive up from Staten Island New York, but I had never been to Boston (or through Conn., RI & MA) so the drive was interesting. This is the second Fest I have been to, I was at the Allentown one a few years ago. (all the others _always_ fall on a weekend that is/was com- mitted to something else). The turn out was pretty good for a show this size and everyone seemed pretty enthusiastic. It looked like sales were pretty brisk, so I think the dealers/devs that showed up weren't disappointed. I picked up a 2400 baud modem, 2 replacement mice, some blank disks, a copy of Clay's C-Manship book and some other sundry items that slip my mind. The seminars were well attended, although I only had time for one, Nevin Shalit's Color PageStream/Tracker ST demo. The color output from PageStream was fantastic and Tracker ST is a well thought out, well ex- ecuted program. If you are in need of something to maintain a mailing list/keep track of customers/do mail merges this baby will put a smile on your face. Apparently alot of people agreed, they were snatching them up at the show special price. Got to finally see the Stacy (nice!), TT(great screen/colors/speed but that case just KILLS it) and the LYNX (I want one! Xmas is coming, if anyone needs my address to ship me one I will provide it, just ask). I saw alot of people that I knew as a name before, like Bob Brodie, Darlah, Jim Allen, John Eidsvoog (sp?). It's always interesting to see the real face after creating an image of your own of how they "should" look! I didn't always introduce myself because I fear I may be a persona non grata around here since I am always "picking" on Corporate Atari and it's royal screw-ups (no matter how you sugar coat it, the ST debacle in the USA still stinks). BTW this is the second time I've seen Darlah (I did introduce myself in Allentown) and I must say she is like a fine wine, definitely improving with time. Lookin' good Darlah! Well that's about it, I'm pooped- got stuck in traffic at a construc- tion project in Brooklyn for over an hour on the way home. ARRRGgghh. (oh, one down side, apparently the personal hygiene of some Atari users leaves something to be desired- there were a few (more than a coupl- e!) of real stinkers at the show! I suggest Atari come out with a water proof ST so some of these people visit a shower more often! Wow! Whew!) Tom ------------ D.JACOBSON2 posts; Well everyone, I can finally say that I've rested up enough to relax and reflect about the New England AtariFest '90 show. As one of the organizers, and participants with my own user group, this show was simply fantastic. The participation by the vendors, developers, user groups, AND attendees was wonderful. I didn't see one unhappy face or empty hands leaving the show. The vendors were happy with the turnout, and everyone did well. It was great to meet many people behind the names, here and on other services. A great time was had by all, and I just want to say thanks for all of your participation. -Dana Jacobson ------------ D.ANDERSON22 [Equinoxx] posts; Tom: The "name tag" thing was a definite oversight. It didn't occur to me myself until just before the doors opened, even though I had seen the badges about two weeks before the show. If we do this again next year (and I know myself well enough to realize that, no matter how loudly I may proclaim NOW that I'm not going to get involved with another one of these, the second the planning starts, I'm going to jump right in...as Nevin said in his seminar, "I'm a masochist."), that's one of the kinks I'll per- sonally see to working out. I do know that a few folks worked around this by just putting a business card in a badge holder...Ralph Mariano and Nathan Potechin come immediately to mind. Finally, my own observations on the show. Although I didn't have much of an opportunity to just walk around and enjoy the show as a spectator, I would be lying if I said I didn't have a good time. Much of my time was spent making announcements of seminars, door prizes and the like (yes, that's right, I was the official "Voice of New England AtariFest '90"), although I did get a few chances to hobble about on what Mr. Mariano took to calling my "rubber crutches" (the sooner I can get rid of them, the happier I'll be) to see what was what. I was very pleased with the turnout, both from the standpoint of being one of the show's organizers, and simply as an Atari enthusiast...it was just great to see that many people come out to support and see what was new with Atari. The factor of coming just three weeks after "The Big Show" down in DC didn't seem to hurt our attendance, or theirs, by any notice- able degree. I'm told that the preliminary attendance figures hit the projection almost dead- on. The exhibitors we talked with were happy...the people came, and they came to buy. One vendor told me they were "raking it in hand over fist". Several, like the WizWorks! contingent (Chet Walters, Dave Rudie & Dr. Bob...not to drop any names <grin>) said they look forward to coming back to Boston. We'll definitely do our best to make it worth their while. This is not to say that everything went as smoothly as we would have liked. Darlah, for example, was just not having a great day. The infamous Mr. Murphy decided he wanted to hang out with her, and it seemed like there was no good luck charm strong enough to ward him off. Somehow, though, she managed to keep smiling through it all. Nevin Shalit was having a slight problem with the Mega he was using in his seminar...some problem with memory (don't anyone tell him it was MY machine, okay?). The SyQuest Nathan Potechin brought over from Toronto with him came up blank when he tried to boot it, so he had to show Calamus and Outline RUNNING OFF OF FLOPPIES(!!), on top of which, halfway through his seminar, we were informed that there was a class scheduled in the room we were using (natu- rally, the University didn't think it was necessary to tell us about this when they gave us permission to use the room in the first place), so we had to move to an alcove just off the main show floor (we finally moved back to the room for Bob Brodie's talk). On the other hand, there were great moments, too, like: seeing the TT (and John Eidsvoog's reaction when we finally came up with a monitor for it <grin>); Nathan Potechin's donation of a COMPLETE Calamus package (i.e., Calamus, Outline Art, the Font Editor and The Calamus Guide to Desktop Publishing -- over $700 worth of software!) as a door prize; watching Ralph Mariano help set up tables the night before the show; seeing Bruno Puglia hanging out with Cliff Terry in the ICD booth; dinner at Legal Seafood's Saturday night, where Chet Walters' son Chris ordered -- and GOT -- a pizza(!); just seeing the sheer numbers of people come streaming through the door; and, of course, Darlah's smile, in spite of her phenomenal run of bad luck (and I'm not going to be the one to tell you about it). All in all, a positive experience. I want to go on record and thank EVERYONE who was involved with the show in any way...the folks who ex- hibited, those who gave seminars (and those who didn't get to, due to, shall we say, "Circumstances Beyond Our Control," Darlah? <grin>), the other organizers, the volunteers, the University of Massachusetts staff and campus police, the AMAZING staff of waiters and waitresses at Legal Seafoods, and especially, the good folks who lined up to buy tickets, and made the show such a success. Thanks, everyone. It meant a lot. ------------ DARLAH [RT~SYSOP] posts; I have to start off to say that this was a great show. I was impressed with everyone that was involved that I dealt with. When you say bad luck, I had it royally. I think it is finally hitting me. <smile> Yeah I am still smiling but that is thanks to all those that cared. It meant the world. I had my wallet stolen the 1st night in town then the second day my hard drives and my keyboard vanished. Yes folks, I forgot about the keybo- ard. <sigh> I was faced with going home and not being able to work. Thanks to Jim Allen for making calls and most of all Mr. Champagne for allowing me to take his keyboard and mouse home till I get one fedexed to me out tomor- row. The generosity, I can't believe it and it warms my heart. I mean that sincerely. For all those that tried to find out where the HDS went to to taking me to the police station to just listening and lending me their equipment, what can I say but my deepest thanks go out to you. For those that said nice things about me an my appearance, what you have done to my ego. I needed that tonight. :-) I felt like I looked a mess. I sure felt it. I did get around and look at some of the booths. Joppa was so packed you couldn't even get near the booth. The show was busy all the way till the end. I was impressed with the way the show came off. The appearance of the booths, the friendly atmosphere (minus the person who has my equipment of course. :-) > I enjoyed talking to everyone that stopped by and said hello. Till tomorrow.......I am off to rest and regroup. Again, thanks. Great show! Great people! PS: Can I please have an address to ship the keyboard back to? I also would like to have an address for each and every person that helped me out. Please appease me and send me it in mail. Thanks!! Oh that is GEnie mail of course. Night all. :-) ------------ ISD [Nathan] posts; Allow me to also take this opportunity to say thanks. I enjoyed mys- elf, it was a great show, attendance was good and the atmosphere was very positive. I listened to Bob's seminar without nodding off more than once or twice :-), wiped out my files, commiserated with Darlah on the loss of her wallet and harddrives ate at a few excellent restaurants, enjoyed seeing David Anderson again hobbling around and actually pronouncing my name correctly over the P.A. (thanks David) :-) and have just now arrived back home. We'll have to do this again sometime. My thanks to all of the organizers and volunteers for a great show. ------------ D.JACOBSON2 posts; It's nice to hear that everyone enjoyed the show. All I can do is echo Dave's comments earlier - I couldn't say it any better. It was a very enjoyable weekend, from the standpoint of being one of the organize- rs, user group participants, and as a "customer". I had the best of all three worlds!! It was great meeting everyone that I missed meeting at WAACE. Everyone was great to talk with, and that included the party at Legal Seafood afterward (Darlah, where were you??). Looking forward to next year for an even better show!! -Dana *********************************************************************** :HOW TO GET YOUR OWN GENIE ACCOUNT: _________________________________ 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: XTX99587,CPUREPT then, hit RETURN. **** SIGN UP FEE WAIVED **** The system will now prompt you for your information. -> NOW! GENIE STAR SERVICE IS IN EFFECT!! <- *********************************************************************** > A REAL DEALER! STR Mail Call? Letters to the Editor ============================ A RARE COMMODITY INDEED! ======================== The following letter was sent to me via GEnie by the owner of one of the better Atari Dealers in the southeastern USA. I had asked; if neces- sary, would they be willing to support users via the mails? The answer is below and after I read this, I felt it was an absolute necessity to allow our readers to enjoy the positive, upbeat viewpoint of a dealer who is obviously satisfied and embarked on a true course headed for complete success. Ralph: We will of course be glad to provide support to out of town customers who don't have a local dealer. In fact, Computer STudio has become a regional "local" dealer for western North Carolina and northern South Carolina because, as you mentioned, a lot of loyal Atarians do not have a "local" dealer. Fortunately, a lot of our customers are within a few hours drive and frequently car pool over on a Saturday or holiday to visit and shop. And when they want or need something and can't wait for the next trip, we'll of course ship to them. Being located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the great vacation areas in the eastern U.S., we also get the opportunity to meet quite a few Atarians from all over the country who stop in to visit with us when they're vacationing in the area or travelling through. But we do not consider ourselves a "mail-order" dealer. That name has, in my mind, the image of the type of dealership I do not want to be associ- ated with. Computer STudio is a full-service dealership where customers can get personalized attention, try out hardware and software, get same- -day service repair work, or just stop by to visit and socialize. We also maintain a large PD/Shareware library which is available for free copying anytime by our customers. While we will always endeavor to provide our customers with the best possible pricing, we will NOT sacrifice our high quality of service and support for the sake of cutting our profit margin too thin. Our customers understand that we are also entitled to a fair margin of profit and do not expect us to compete with those "mail order" firms who provide little or no support. We have grown in our first two years and developed a loyal following of customers because of our quality selection, service and support. I am proud of that high level of cooperation and support between ourselves and our customers that has enabled all of us to much more fully enjoy our Atari computer systems. We are also proud to sponsor our local Atari User Group (Blue Ridge Atari Computer Enthusiasts) and provide them with a meeting location and use of our computer equipment. In fact, I am a past president of the club (be- fore opening Computer STudio) and am currently the newsletter editor. But in answer to your question. Yes, I'll be glad to ship to a customer who doesn't have a local dealer. I will provide fair pricing -- we are generally competitive on software and hardware, but not always the lowest price. But we set our pricing so that it is fair to both our customers and ourselves based on the level of service and support we provide as part of the sale. Any specific requests for product availability, pricing, etc. should be sent through E-mail to ourselves or any of the other Atari dealers here on GEnie who will, I'm sure, also be glad to work with an Atarian who doesn't have a local dealer. Regards, Sheldon Winick Computer STudio (Asheville, NC) __________________________________________________________ > Stock Market ~ STReport? ATARI STOCK HOVERS @ $2 A SHARE! ======================= THE TICKERTAPE ============== by Michael Arthur The price of Atari stock went down 1/8 of a point on Monday, and was down 1/4 of a point on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the price of Atari stock stayed the same, but went down 1/4 of a point on Thursday. On Friday, the price of Atari stock went down 1/8 of a point. Finishing up the week at $1.875 a share, the price of Atari's stock went down 3/4 of a point since October 12, 1990. As of October 19, 1989, Jack Tramiel's 36 million shares of Atari stock are now worth 67.5 Million dollars. Interestingly, this is the same amount of money that Atari bought the Federated chain of electronic stores with 2 years ago.... Apple Stock was down 3 1/8 points from Friday, October 12, 1990. Commodore Stock was down 5/8 of a point from 10/12/90. IBM Stock was up 7 3/8 points from 10/12/90. Stock Report for Week of 10/8/90 to 10/12/90 _________________________________________________________________________ STock| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Reprt|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.|Last Chg.| -----|-----------|------------|-------------|-------------|--------------| Atari|2 1/2 -1/8|2 1/4 - 1/4|2 1/4 ----| 2 - 1/4|1 7/8 - 1/8| | | | | 123,300 Sls | 100,300 Sls | -----|-----------+------------+-------------+-------------+--------------| CBM |6 3/8 -1/8|5 7/8 - 1/2|5 7/8 ----|6 1/8 + 1/4|5 7/8 - 1/4| | | 57,200 Sls | | | 107,700 Sls | -----|-----------+------------+-------------+-------------+--------------| Apple|27 3/4 -1/2|25 - 2 3/4|26 1/2 +1 1/2|28 1/2 + 2|31 3/8 +2 7/8| | |2,725,300 # | | |8,336,900 Sls | -----|-----------+------------+-------------+-------------+--------------| IBM |99 1/4 - 1|99 3/8 -1/8|100 3/4 |105 3/8 |107 5/8 +2 1/4| | | | +1 3/8| +4 5/8|2,658,600 Sls | -----'-------------------------------------------------------------------' '#' and 'Sls' refer to the # of stock shares that were traded that day. 'CBM' refers to Commodore Corporation. ___________________________________________________________ > LCAC V 2.0 STR SHOW NEWS? Chicago AtariFest V2.0 ========================= **** Chicago AtariFest V2.0 **** Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts are proud to present "Chicago AtariFest" to be held November 11th (Sunday) 1990 at the American Legion Gurnee Post located at W. Grand and Il. Rt. 21 (just 1 mile east of I-94 and the "Great America" theme park). The show will open to the public at 10:00 AM and will run until 4:00 PM. General admission will be $2.00 in advance, $3.00 at the door. Children under 6 will be admitted free with a paying adult. All paid admissions will have a chance at one of several valuable door prizes to be awarded at various times during the day. For more information on advance ticket sales and general show information, please contact LCACE at P.O. Box 8788, Waukegan, IL 60079-8788. A special show message base is available on the Python BBS, (708) 680-5105 300/1200/2400 24hrs. ------ Exhibitors/Developers -------- CodeHead Software DataQue Products P.O. Box 74090 P.O. Box 134 Los Angeles, CA 90004 Ontario, OH 44862 John Eidsvoog Chuck Steinman Brumleve Software M-S Designs P.O. Box 4195 611 W. Illinois Urbana, IL 61801-8820 Urbana, IL D.A. Brumleve Carl Stanford Reeve Software Atari Interface Magazine 29 Old Farm Lane 3487 Braeburn Cir. Warrenville, IL 60555 Ann Arbor, MI Alan Reeve Bill and Pattie Rayl Atari Portable Ent. Magazine ICD, Inc. 2104 Kostner 1220 Rock Street Chicago, IL 60639 Rockford, IL Clinton Smith Tom Harker Compuserve Information Service WizWorks! P.O. Box 20212 P.O. Box 45 Columbus, OH 43220-0212 Girard, OH 44420 R. Retelle Chet Walters GEnie Information Services Rockville, Maryland Jeff Williams ------- Vendors/Dealers ---------- Mars Merchandising Computer Cellar 15 W. 615 Diversey 220 1/2 W. Main Street Elmhurst, IL 60126 St Charles, IL 60174 Paper Express H and H Computer Supplies P.O. Box 1036 824 Grafield Ave. Moline, IL 61265-1036 Aurora, IL 60506 Kolputer Systems CSA Limited 18 Burgess Dr. P.O. Box 567530 Glendale Hgts, IL Harwood Heights, IL 60656 Apple Annie ReCharge It 1005 S. Hamlin 866 Tower Rd. Park Ridge, IL 60068 Mundelien, IL 60060 -------- User Groups --------- L.C.A.C.E. S.C.A.T. Lake County Atari Computer Enthusiasts Suburban Chicago ATari P.O. Box 8788 8702 Osceola Waukegan, IL 60079-8788 Niles, IL 60648 MilAtari M.A.S.T. Milwaukee Atari Users Group Milwaukee Atari ST P.O. Box 14038 P.O. Box 25679 West Allis, WI 53214 Milwaukee, WI 53225 G.C.A.C.E. R.A.C.C. Chicago Atari Comp. Enthusiasts Rockford Atari Computer Club P.O. Box 6706 4658 Black Oak Tr. Chicago, IL 60614-6706 Rockford, IL 61103 L.A.U.G. T.U.G. Local Atari Users Group The Users Group 1N361 Ridgeland Av. P.O. Box 66583 W. Chicago, Il 60185 AMF O'Hare. IL 60666 ______________________________________________________ > STReport CONFIDENTIAL? "ATARI NEWS, ALWAYS FIRST!" ===================== - SAN RAFAEL, CA NEW LUCASFILM GAMES! -------------- Lucasfilm Games, a long-time supporter of Atari computers, has recently released THEIR FINEST HOUR: THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN. The new game is similar to BATTLEHAWKS 1942 and, in fact, is authored by the same programmer. THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN is an action/simulation which allows players to fly German and British missions in historic confrontations. As evidenced by the many messages on the online services, this new air combat simulator has been long anticipated by many users. And best of all, according to Brandy Wilson, of Lucasfilm Games, a third game in the series titled SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE will most likely be available by the end of this year (the IBM version is tentatively scheduled for release on October 15, 1990). Additionally, the world famous 8 bit game BallBlaz- er, is being ported to the Atari ST Computer lines. It is expected to be announced by both Lucas and the software firm undertaking this joint effort and released within the next 90 days. - Boston, MA TT030 SHIPPING TO CANADIAN DEALERS AS DEMOS! ---------- The TT030 will begin shipping to Authorized Canadian Atari dealers AFTER the Toronto show. It is emphasized though, that these machines are not for sale. They are intended for display and demonstration only. The "for sale" units will not become available until after Comdex, (end of November). Atari is trying to make the release of the TT a general release in North America and not allow split releases in Canada and then USA as has occurred in the past. - Auburn Hills, MI MICHTRON CHANGING MANAGEMENT & OWNERSHIP! ---------------- MICHTRON 3285 Lapeer Rd West Auburn Hills, MI 48326 Phone 313-377-8898 Fax 313-377-2550 October 23, 1990 Greetings: MichTron is going to have a Grand Clearance sale. Please, be advised, we are not totally going out of business. What is happening is that Creative Computers in Delaware is purchasing most of our stock and the name MichTron, and will continue to sell and support MichTron software. The building we are now in has been sold and the new tenants are going to move in shortly. So we have to clear it out. Nine years of Computer goodies are going on sale! On Saturday.. Nov 3, 1990, [10AM to 4PM] we are going to have a big Garage sale! We are going to be selling anything and everything.. There will be software for the Atari ST, The Commodore Amiga, and IBM PC's. This will include MIchTron, Microdeal, HiSoft, all the brands we carried and lots of third party brands that we purchased for our own use, or was sent to us. Games for $1, word processors for $10 and desk top publishing packages for $40. The deals of the century. We will be selling new and used disks. (.30 for 3.5 inch disks) , Cables, computers Ataris, Amigas and PC Clones.. New and Used.. Monitors, hard drives, mice, printers, printer stands, Metal shelves, Pallet Racks, everything in the building must be sold. This is a great time to stock up on Christmas Presents for the kids and that new software to while away the winter. Directions: ---------- Take I-75 to Lapeer Road Exit (exit 81) Turn RT going SOUTH on Lapeer Rd (towards Pontiac) at First Street, turn RT again (just past the used car lot) Go around the corner and we are the first driveway on the left, the building on the right. The address is on Lapeer Rd but we are on a private Industrial subdivision 1/2 mile south of the Palace. - Sunnyvale, CA MEGA STe A REALITY! ------------- The long awaited Mega STe will be a reality in the USA. It is to be announced at Comdex and begin shipping shortly thereafter. The Mega STe is reported to be 16Mhz, have a VME buss connector, be in a TT look-alike cabinet and be priced right. No mention was made of whether or not an option of an internal hard drive would be available. Certainly the cab- inet has the room. The familiar metal shields will no longer be used, instead the spray-on metallic film will be used as it is in the Lynx. This unit will also offer upgradable memory. ______________________________________________________ > Hard Disks STR InfoFile? Affordable Mass Storage.... ======================= NEW LOW PRICES! & MORE MODELS!! =============================== ABCO COMPUTER ELECTRONICS INC. P.O. Box 6672 Jacksonville, Florida 32236-6672 Est. 1985 _________________________________________ Voice: 904-783-3319 10 AM - 4 PM EDT BBS: 904-786-4176 12-24-96 HST FAX: 904-783-3319 12 PM - 6 AM EDT _________________________________________ HARD DISK SYSTEMS TO FIT EVERY BUDGET _____________________________________ All systems are complete and ready to use, included at NO EXTRA COST are clock/calendar and cooling blower(s). -ALL ABCO HARD DISK SYSTEMS ARE FULLY EXPANDABLE- (you are NOT limited to two drives ONLY!) (all cables and connectors installed) * ICD HOST ADAPTERS USED EXCLUSIVELY * OMTI HIGH SPEED CONTROLLERS * * ICD ADVANTAGE+ HOST ADAPTERS * FULL SCSI COMMAND SET SUPPORTED * * SCSI EMBEDDED CONTROLLER MECHANISMS * Conventional Shoe Box Model Description Autopark Price ================================================== SGN4951 51Mb 28ms 3.5" Y 519.00 SGN6177 62Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 619.00 SGN1096 85Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 649.00 SGN6277 120Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 889.00 SGN1296 168Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 1069.00 SGN4077 230Mb 24ms 3.5" Y 1669.00 ================================================== WE HAVE A COMPLETE LINE OF 3.5 LOW PROFILE HARD DRIVES for USE IN MEGA ST COMPUTERS AND RELATED CONFIGURATIONS. 20mb #AI020SC 379.95 30mb #AIO3OSC 419.95 50mb #AI050SC 449.95 65mb #AI065SC 499.95 85mb #AI085SC $559.95 MEGA ST Internal Hard Drives CONNOR HIGH PERFORMANCE MECHANISMS >>> ALL ABCO DRIVES ARE HIGH SPEED UNITS <<< (500 - 600k per sec @ 23 -33ms) CALL FOR SUPER SAVINGS ON ALL OUR OTHER CUSTOM UNITS FROM 30mb 28MS @ $419.00! Ask about our "REBATE SPECIALS" --==*==-- SHIPPING AND INSURANCE INCLUDED ============================================ * SYQUEST 44MB (#555)>> ABCO "44" << REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE * - SYQUEST 44 MB DRIVE - ICD ST ADVANTAGE PLUS H/A - ICD Utility Software - 3' DMA Cable - Fan & Clock - Multi-Unit Power Supply (1) 44 MB Syquest Cart. COMPLETELY ASSEMBLED AND READY TO RUN! --->> SPECIAL NOW ONLY __$729.00__ <<--- *** SPECIAL SYQUEST OFFER!! *** ORDER YOUR CUSTOM SYQUEST UNIT NOW AND GET A SECOND COMPLETE UNIT! ***** for $50.00 LESS! ***** * TWIN SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVES ... PROGRAMMER'S DELIGHT * SPECIALLY PRICED ** $1339.00 ** * SYQUEST 44MB REMOVABLE MEDIA DRIVE AND HARD DRIVE COMBINATIONS * - Syquest 44 Model [555] and the following hard drives - 50mb SQG51 $1079.00 30mb SQG38 $1039.00 65mb SQG09 $1119.00 85mb SQG96 $1129.00 LOWBOY - STANDARD - DUAL BLOWER CABINETS CUSTOM CONFIGURATIONS AVAILABLE Listed above are a sampling of the systems available. Prices also reflect various cabinet/power supply configurations (over sixty configurations are available, flexibility is unlimited) *** ALL Units: Average Access Time: 24ms - 34ms *** ALL UNITS COMPATIBLE WITH --> SUPERCHARGER - PC-DITTO/II - SPECTRE/GCR LARGER units are available - (special order only) NO REPACKS OR REFURBS USED! - Custom Walnut WOODEN Cabinets - TOWER - AT - XT Cabinets - Keyboard Custom Cables Call for Info ALL POWER SUPPLIES UL APPROVED -* 12 month FULL Guarantee *- (A FULL YEAR of COVERAGE) QUANTITY & USERGROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE! _________________________________________ DEALERS and DISTRIBUTORS WANTED! please, call for details Personal and Company Checks are accepted. ORDER YOUR NEW UNIT TODAY! CALL: 1-800-562-4037 -=**=- CALL: 1-904-783-3319 Customer Orders ONLY Customer Service 9am - 8pm EDT Tues thru Sat ____________________________________________________________ > A "Quotable Quote"? ================= "The more time they waste trying to disparage...." "The less time they have for their own endeavors!" "NO TRUER FOOLS ARE THEY!!" Ziggy's Zircons from the Zagnut -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STReport? "YOUR INDEPENDENT NEWS SOURCE" October 26, 1990 16/32bit Magazine copyright = 1990 No.6.43 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Views, Opinions and Articles Presented herein are not necessarily those of the editors, staff, STReport? CPU/STR? or ST Report?. Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless otherwise noted. Each reprint must include the name of the publication, date, issue # and the author's name. The entire publication and/or portions therein may not be edited in any way without prior written permission. The contents, at the time of publication, are believed to be reasonably accurate. The editors, contributors and/or staff are not responsible for either the use/misuse of information contained herein or the results obtained therefrom. --------------------------------------------------------------------------